“I think the best mood for writing is a heavy feeling that's a little bit removed from you. Sometimes I feel very self-indulgent and bratty and ungrateful, and no good music comes out of that. But sometimes I can be really sad or have an excess of feeling yet somehow be able to see the big picture more.”

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.