“My mom is always asking why can't I make something nice? Because I'll make paintings, say, and they're just really bloody and angsty. So I wrote 'Dark Parts' because I wanted to write something nice for her.”

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.