“I was watching a movie called 'Perfume.' The book is really good, but the movie is really bad. My friend was making fun of it. He kept calling this obese guy a perfume genius. When I started putting my songs up on MySpace, I didn't know what was going to happen. I actually didn't put much thought into a name and just quickly used Perfume Genius.”

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.