“I felt like an outsider, so listening to a bunch of outsiders' music like Bjork and Patti Smith made me feel better. But at the same time, I didn't have anyone singing specifically 100% about things I could relate to.”

American singer, songwriter, and musician

Perfume Genius is the stage name of Michael Alden Hadreas, an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He works in indie music and is known for songs that move between pop and rock, with a wide range of influences and moods. His writing often turns to sexuality, his own experience with Crohn's disease, domestic abuse, and the risks gay men can face in contemporary society. That focus gives his work a personal and sometimes stark quality, shaped as much by lived experience as by style.