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, and the dangers faced by gay men in contemporary society.

Early years

Hadreas is of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

descent and was born in Des Moines, Iowa, moving to the suburbs of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

at age 6 or 7. Hadreas studied painting in school and took piano lessons as a child. 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. Growing up, Hadreas was the only openly gay student at his school, and he received death threats that were ignored by the school administration. He dropped out of high school during his senior year. Two years after dropping out, he was attacked by several young men in his neighborhood. He moved to

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...

, and worked as a doorman for a club in the East Village. In 2005, Hadreas returned home to Seattle and began recording music. In 2008, Hadreas set up a MySpace page under the name Perfume Genius, beginning his music career. The moniker comes from the genius perfume-maker in

Tom Tykwer Tom Tykwer (; born 23 May 1965) is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing the thriller films '' Run Lola Run'' (1998), '' Heaven'' (2002), '' Perfume: The Story of a Murderer ...

's 2006 movie '' Perfume: The Story of a Murderer''.

Career

Early releases

Hadreas's debut album, '' Learning'', was released on June 21, 2010, through Turnstile Records in Europe and

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apar ...

in the United States. Many of the tracks for ''Learning'' were recorded in Hadreas's home. The album quickly received critical acclaim, including an 8.2 out of 10 score from

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

. He performed his first live show at

The Vera Project The Vera Project, or VERA, is an all-ages, non-profit youth arts organization in Seattle, Washington. Overview Based on the Vera club in Groningen, Netherlands. The name Vera comes from the phrase Veri Et Recti Amici, which is Latin meaning "t ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, where he opened for

A Sunny Day in Glasgow A Sunny Day in Glasgow are an American shoegazing band formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2006, the band has undergone many line-up changes since then, with Ben Daniels as the only constant member. Background A Sunny Day in Glasgow ...

. Hadreas brought on pianist, Alan Wyffels, to play for the album tour. Hadreas would go on to date Wyffels. Wyffels has continued to perform with Hadreas in recordings and live shows. Hadreas's second album, '' Put Your Back N 2 It'', was released on February 20, 2012. Again, Hadreas received praise from music critics and fans alike for the sonic intimacy his music achieved. The promotional video for the album, featuring Hadreas and pornographic actor Arpad Miklos embracing each other, was deemed unsafe for family viewing by

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

''Too Bright''

On September 23, 2014, Hadreas released his third album, ''

Too Bright ''Too Bright'' is the third album by American singer Perfume Genius, released on September 23, 2014. The album reached number 77 on the UK Albums chart and peaked at number 83 in the United States. Critical reception ''Too Bright'' has rece ...

'', which was co-produced by

Adrian Utley Adrian Francis Utley (born 27 April 1957) is an English musician and producer, and a member of the band Portishead.Jurek, ThomAdrian Utley Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved 31 December 2016 Career Born in Northampton,Mejia, Paula (2015)In Search ...

of Portishead and Ali Chant, to critical acclaim. 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." Following the release of the album, Hadreas toured it and played sold out headline shows. On October 30, 2014, Perfume Genius appeared on ''

The Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production c ...

'' performing "Queen". In April 2015, Hadreas was featured on the cover and in the pages of '' Hello Mr.'' Hadreas collaborated with

Sharon Van Etten Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released six studio albums, the latest of which is '' We've Been Going About This All Wrong'' (2022). Early life Van Etten was born in Belleville, N ...

to contribute a cover of

The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

'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 are helping to fight HIV/AIDS and related health issues around the world through the Red Hot Organization. On September 16, 2016, Hadreas released a cover of Elvis' "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.

''No Shape''

Hadreas was featured on the cover of the March/April 2017 issue of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'', which included a lengthy feature on Hadreas and his work on his next album. 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. The single was designated "Best New Track" by ''

''. 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 Blake Mills (born September 21, 1986) is an American songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer based in California. Biography Blake Mills was born in Santa Monica, California, United States, and grew up in Malibu, where he attended Malibu ...

( Fiona Apple,

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

Alabama Shakes Alabama Shakes were an American rock band formed in Athens, Alabama, in 2009. The band consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, and drummer Steve Johnson. The band began its career touring ...

) and mixed by Grammy Award-winning engineer

Shawn Everett Shawn Everett (born July 6, 1982) is a Canadian music engineer and producer best known for his work with Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves, The War on Drugs, The Killers, and Julian Casablancas. Everett has won six Grammy Awards. Early life Ever ...

. The album was praised by critics.

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." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' commented that "No Shape sounds like a unique talent coming into full bloom." On May 9, 2017 Perfume Genius released the video for "Die 4 You", directed by

Floria Sigismondi Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer. She is best known for writing and directing '' The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includi ...

. That same month, it was announced that Perfume Genius would curate a part of the line-up for

Le Guess Who? Le Guess Who? is a Dutch music festival featuring different music genres: from avant-garde, jazz, hip hop, electronic, experimental, noise rock, indie rock, world music and others. The festival, founded by Bob van Heur and Johan Gijsen, has ...

Festival in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

in November, for which he invited amongst others Aldous Harding,

Mount Eerie Mount Eerie is the musical project of American songwriter and producer Phil Elverum. Elverum (also of The Microphones) is the principal member of the band, but has collaborated with many other musicians on his records and in live performances. ...

, Weyes Blood, and Bulgarian women's choir

Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares ''Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares'' (translated as "The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices") is a compilation album of modern arrangements of Bulgarian folk songs featuring, among others, the Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir, with s ...

. 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". On March 16, he released another single, "On the Floor". Both songs were included on his album, '' Set My Heart on Fire Immediately'', released on May 15, 2020. 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.''

Musical style

Hadreas' musical style has been described as

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

, baroque pop,

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other compo ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

, pop, and

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

Awards and nominations

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Dorian Awards The Dorian Awards are film and television accolades given by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, founded in 2009 as the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association. GALECA is an association of professional journalists and ...

, Music Video of the Year , , - , rowspan=4, 2017 , Music Week Sync Awards , "I Can't Help Falling in Love" , Best Sync Online Viral Advert , , - , Rober Awards Music Poll , Himself , Best Songwriter , , - ,

Best Art Vinyl Best Art Vinyl is an annual award that began in 2005. It celebrates artists and designers of vinyl record cover art. The nomination process begins in November and the winners are announced in January, and are exhibited at venues across the United K ...

, '' No Shape'' , Best Art Vinyl , , - , rowspan=3, A2IM Libera Awards , Toyatathon 2016 Ad Spot , Best Sync Usage , , - , rowspan=3, 2018 , "Wreath" Video Contest , Marketing Genius , , - , "Die 4 You" , Video of the Year , , - , GLAAD Media Awards , '' No Shape'' , Outstanding Music Artist , , - , 2019 , rowspan=2, A2IM Libera Awards , "Eighth Grade" Trailer , rowspan=2, Best Sync Usage , , , - , rowspan=4, 2020 , Goldfinch trailer , , , - , rowspan=3, Rober Awards Music Prize , rowspan=2, Himself , Best Male Artist , , rowspan=3, , - , Songwriter of the Year , , - , "Describe" , Best Music Video , , - , rowspan=3, 2021 , rowspan=2,

GAFFA Awards ''Gaffa'' (stylized as ''GAFFA'') is a free Nordic music magazine with local editions in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ''Gaffa'' is Denmark's largest and oldest music magazine. It has been published since 1983 and has 320,000 print readers an ...

, Himself , Best International Solo Act , , rowspan=2, , - , '' Set My Heart on Fire Immediately'' , Best International Album , , - , Queerty Awards , "

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" , Anthem , , , - , 2023 , Grammy Awards , " Spitting Off The Edge Of The World" (with

Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...

) ,

Best Alternative Music Performance The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Ho ...

, ,

Discography

*'' Learning'' (2010) *'' Put Your Back N 2 It'' (2012) *''

'' (2014) *'' No Shape'' (2017) *'' Set My Heart on Fire Immediately'' (2020) *'' Ugly Season'' (2022)

References

External links

Perfume Genius
at

{{Authority control 1981 births Living people American male singer-songwriters American rock singers American rock songwriters American people of Greek descent American gay musicians LGBT people from Iowa LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT people from Washington (state) LGBT songwriters Matador Records artists Musicians from Seattle People from Everett, Washington Singers from New York City Chamber pop musicians Singer-songwriters from Washington (state) 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers Nettwerk Music Group artists LGBT singers from the United States Art pop musicians 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people Singer-songwriters from New York (state)