Perfume Genius

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Perfume Genius
File:Perfume Genius Performing in NYC.jpg
Hadreas performing in New York City in 2012
Background information
Birth name Mike Hadreas
Born (1981-09-25) September 25, 1981 (age 43)[1] [2]
Genres Indie pop, baroque pop, chamber pop, alternative
Instruments Vocals, piano
Years active 2008–present
Labels Matador, Turnstile

Perfume Genius is the stage name for Seattle-based solo artist Mike Hadreas. As of 2016, he has released three albums.

History

Formation

Hadreas is of Greek descent and was born in the suburbs[3] of Seattle, Washington.[4] Hadreas studied painting in school and took piano lessons as a child.[4] His mother was a special education teacher, and his parents divorced when he was a teenager.[4]

Growing up, Hadreas was the only openly gay student at his school, and he received death threats which were not addressed by the administration.[3] 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.[3] He moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and worked as a doorman for a club in the East Village. In 2005, Hadreas returned home to Seattle and began recording music.[3] In 2008, Hadreas set up a MySpace page under the name Perfume Genius, and thus began his music career.[5] Hadreas' music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn's disease, domestic abuse,[6] and the dangers faced by gay men in contemporary society.[7]

Learning

Hadreas' debut album, Learning, was released on June 21, 2010, through Turnstile Records in Europe and Matador Records in the United States.[8] Many of the tracks for Learning were recorded in Hadreas' home.[4] The album quickly received critical acclaim. Pitchfork gave the album an 8.2

He performed his first live show at The Vera Project in Seattle, where he opened for A Sunny Day in Glasgow.[4]

Put Your Back N 2 It

Hadreas' second album, Put Your Back N 2 It, was released on February 20, 2012.[9] 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.[10]

Hadreas was one of several Seattle-area artists and musicians featured in the exhibit "Mw [Moment Magnitude]" at the Frye Art Museum, October 13, 2012 – January 20, 2013. As part of the exhibit, he performed at the museum on October 27, 2012.[11]

Too Bright

On September 23, 2014, Hadreas released his third album, Too Bright, which was co-produced by Adrian Utley of Portishead,[4] to critical acclaim.[6] 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 a 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 the album and played sold out headline shows.

Television appearances

Perfume Genius appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman on October 30, 2014 performing "Queen" from the album Too Bright.[12]

Soundtrack

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  • "Normal Song" was featured in the hit show "Suits" in 2012.
  • "Sister Song" was featured in Episodes 3, 13, and the season finale of Hemlock Grove in 2013.
  • "Queen" was featured in Episode 4 of Mr. Robot in July 2015.
  • "Learning" was featured in Episode 10 of Transparent in December 2015.
  • "Too Bright" was featured in Season 2 of "How To Get Away With Murder"

Discography

Albums

Album and details Peak positions
US BEL (Vl) BEL (Wa) IRL UK
Learning
  • Date released: June 22, 2010
  • Record label: Matador, Organs
  – 41  –  –  –
Put Your Back N 2 It
  • Date released: February 21, 2012
  • Record label: Matador
  – 19  – 73  –
Too Bright
  • Date released: September 23, 2014
  • Record label: Matador
 83 26 64  – 77

Singles

Release date Title
2010 "Mr. Peterson"
2011 "All Waters"
2012 "Hood"
"Dark Parts"
"Take Me Home"
2014 "Queen"
"Grid"
2015 "Jonathan" - Christine and the Queens feat Perfume Genius

(BEL (Wa) Ultratip #46; FRA #120)

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Perfume Genius – Biography, allmusic.com
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Perfume Genius – Learning, discogs.com
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Perfume Genius & Calendar, Mw [Moment Magnitude], Frye Art Museum. Accessed online 2012-11-27.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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