Michael Alden Hadreas (born September 25, 1981), better known by his stage name Perfume Genius, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Hadreas's music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn's disease, domestic abuse,[4] and the dangers faced by gay men in contemporary society.[5]
Early years
Hadreas is of Greek descent and was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to the suburbs of Seattle, Washington,[6] at age 6 or 7.[7] He studied painting in school and took piano lessons as a child.[7] His mother was a special education teacher and is now an assistant principal at a middle school. His parents divorced when he was a teenager.[7]
Hadreas was the only openly gay student at his school, and he received death threats that were ignored by the school administration.[6] He dropped out of high school during his senior year. Two years later, he was attacked by several young men in his neighborhood.[6] He moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and worked as a doorman for a club in the East Village. In 2005, Hadreas returned home to Seattle and began recording music.[6] In 2008, Hadreas set up a MySpace page under the name Perfume Genius, beginning his music career.[8] The moniker comes from the genius perfume-maker in Tom Tykwer's 2006 movie Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.[9]
Career
Early releases
Perfume Genius performing in 2012
Hadreas's debut album, Learning, was released on June 21, 2010, through Turnstile Records in Europe and Matador Records in the United States.[10] Many of the tracks for Learning were recorded in Hadreas's home.[7] The album received critical acclaim, including an 8.2 out of 10 score from Pitchfork.
He performed his first live show at The Vera Project in Seattle, where he opened for A Sunny Day in Glasgow.[7] Hadreas brought on pianist Alan Wyffels to play for the album tour;[11] the two would later date.[11][12][13][14] Wyffels has continued to perform with Hadreas live and on recordings.[11]
Hadreas's second album, Put Your Back N 2 It, was released on February 20, 2012.[15] Again, Hadreas received praise from music critics and fans alike.
The promotional video for the album, featuring Hadreas and pornographic actor Arpad Miklos embracing each other, was deemed unsafe for family viewing by YouTube.[16]
On September 23, 2014, Hadreas released his third album, Too Bright, which was co-produced by Adrian Utley of Portishead[7] and Ali Chant.[4] The album was a transformative leap for Hadreas and marked a new trajectory in his career. The album received rave reviews from an array of publications. Pitchfork gave the album an 8.5 and commented that "these songs feel less like songs and more like treasures, ones that fill you with power and wisdom."
Hadreas supported the album with a successful tour. On October 30, 2014, Perfume Genius appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, performing "Queen".[17] In April 2015, Hadreas was featured on the cover and in the pages of Hello Mr.[18]
Hadreas collaborated with Sharon Van Etten to contribute a cover of the Grateful Dead's "To Lay Me Down" to Day of the Dead, a charity tribute album curated and produced by members of the National and released by 4AD on May 20, 2016. All profits from the album supported the global fight against HIV/AIDS and related health issues through the Red Hot Organization.
On September 16, 2016, Hadreas released a cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" in collaboration with Prada. The song was featured in the ad campaign for Prada's La Femme and L'Homme fragrances.
Hadreas was featured on the cover of the March/April 2017 issue of The Fader, which included a lengthy feature on Hadreas and his work on his next album.[19] In the weeks following the article, Hadreas posted a number of video and audio clips teasing new music. On March 21, 2017, Hadreas announced his fourth studio album No Shape and released the first single "Slip Away", which was accompanied by a music video directed by frequent Björk collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang.[20] The single was designated "Best New Track" by Pitchfork.[21] On April 19, Hadreas released another single from the album called "Go Ahead" during a live Twitter Q&A with fans.
No Shape was released via Matador on May 5, 2017. It was produced by Blake Mills (Fiona Apple, John Legend, Alabama Shakes) and mixed by Grammy Award-winning engineer Shawn Everett. The album was praised by critics. Pitchfork awarded it an 8.8 and named it "Best New Album", deeming it "his most realized album yet, a tender and transcendental protest record of love and devotion."[22]The Guardian commented that "No Shape sounds like a unique talent coming into full bloom."[23]
In 2019, the track Otherside was used in the trailer for the film The Goldfinch, adapted from the Donna Tartt novel of the same name.
Set My Heart on Fire Immediately and Ugly Season
On February 25, 2020, Hadreas released the single, "Describe".[26] On March 16, he released another single, "On the Floor".[27] Both songs were included on his album, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, released on May 15, 2020.[28]
On June 17, 2022, Hadreas released his sixth studio album, Ugly Season. The album was originally composed as a musical accompaniment for choreographer Kate Wallich's contemporary dance piece The Sun Still Burns Here.[29][30]
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