Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in English
When singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas sits down with his therapist, he admits that he often doesn’t know where to begin with his feelings — which might not be surprising for an artist who, over the course of six albums and 15 years, has worked primarily by himself.
But for his latest effort, “Glory,” Hadreas — known in the music world as Perfume Genius — opened up his voice and emotions, as well as his recording process, in what has been described as his first “band” album, featuring artists like Aldous Harding alongside his longtime collaborators Blake Mills and Alan Wyffels.
“I don’t know if I consciously did it, but it made sense that building the songs felt more collaborative in ways they hadn’t been in the last few records,” Hadreas tells Variety.
However, the album directly tackles emotions surrounding isolation, so Hadreas needed to start off completely alone when his partner, Wyffels, was out of town. That was the only way to meaningfully engage with the work — and what he was really feeling inside.
“I was just home, didn’t turn on the lights and had the curtains drawn. I could just go really deep into it,” Hadreas says. “When no one is around, I’m able to follow all these impulses. But the last few records, the demos, ended up being really full. I did that in a world-building way beyond just the chords and lyrics to make room for the band, Blake and Alan, to see what we found together later.”
On previous records, Hadreas focused on trying to reckon with the past and old memories. But when writing out the lyrics for songs like “It’s a Mirror,” which explores what it’s like to only feel brave and confident when performing or writing, he realized the new record would be current, not reflective.
Ahead of the album’s release, Variety spoke with Hadreas about all of the above, his past albums, and how he’s reflected on the things that are important for him to maintain in life — both as an artist and not — in the face of the Trump administration.
You recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of ‘Too Bright’ and, with the opening song ‘It’s a Mirror,’ you’re really diving into your relationship to fame or success and being on the other side of the curtain. Was that something you were consciously thinking of when you sat down to write these songs?
As I was typing out the lyrics for the album, I realized themes that had been repeating a lot throughout the record. But I did know when I was writing that everything seemed to be current. It was a lot about how I’m feeling now and the things I had been thinking about and obsessed or spiraling over the past year. It wasn’t trying to reckon with old memories or being a projection into the future.
Before COVID and the last few years, my thoughts were really wild and I didn’t care if they didn’t make sense with my life. I’m having a harder time now separating my life from the places I go to creatively. I couldn’t separate them this time. Part of that was realizing that “It’s a Mirror” is about how brave and confident I feel performing or writing and how willing I am to go to places that make me uncomfortable or make me afraid still, and how unwilling I am to do that otherwise.
I’m being dramatic, but there’s so many things I could do for my health or to be a better friend or to be more connected and loving to the people around me. Like when touring, you’re just slammed and working really hard and reduced to all these baby feelings because you’re tired and hungry. But you just do it. And when I’m tired and hungry at home I’m like, “Well, I’m not leaving.” I’m just in full self-soothing mode.
You’re coming into ‘Glory’ after working on the score for Zia Anger’s ‘My First Film’ and also contributing music to Luke Gilford’s ‘National Anthem.’ When getting back into your own records, were there attributes you wanted to carry over from the more instrumental work?
Well, both of the movies are interesting because you’re going into someone else’s world. I know Luke and Zia really well, so even before they sent me the script, I had an understanding of them and knew what they like about me and why they potentially would want to work with me — or my idea of why. It’s hard because you have to maintain your spirit because that’s why they’re asking you to be involved in it, but then you also have to go inside of their thing and find the balance of inserting yourself but only to enhance them. I always think of all the music I make as soundtracking or a score for a feeling in my body that I want to stay in.
You’re also working with Cody Critcheloe again, who directed the iconic ‘Queen’ music video. What drew you two back together to collaborate on music videos for ‘It’s a Mirror’ and ‘No Front Teeth’?
Well, we’ve been friends this whole time. We laugh so much and I just feel a real kinship with him. I just fully trust him with my ideas and any one of his. It’s really deep, honestly. I feel like he really knows me and he knows what I can do and he also knows what I will like out of those things. It’s kind of like the therapy thing, it’s hard for me to articulate but I think most of it is trust. And Cody isn’t bitter. He is excited. We both want to have fun and do something stupid, but with a heartfelt through line. A lot of people are really bitter and they don’t move toward things that are going to make them feel something. Cody and I are both like filthy children. We’re both childlike but we’re really vulgar and disgusting. I like that.
While this album is about the present, you also thematically tie it into your previous albums. For example, bringing back your Jason character for ‘Capezio,’ who previously had his own song on ‘Set My Heart Immediately On Fire.’ What made you decide to bring that character back?
Both characters in each song are specific people that aren’t named Jason, but they’re kind of a similar archetype of dynamics I’ve been in with men that are more withheld or traditionally masculine or straight. It makes me think a lot about what is actually going on, so I’ve kind of turned them into an archetype.
They’re just people, but I’m kind of play acting roles and dynamics — sometimes to get off, sometimes because of shame. Sometimes I use those for fun because it’s exciting to just fully go into all your internal thoughts and narratives about sex and relationships you like. Sometimes it’s fun just to enact those even if they have deep, icky connotations. Then sometimes I’m really pissed off about them, like, “Why am I attracted to these things? Why would I even want to do this?” Because intellectually, I’m not getting anything from this. I named them both Jason because even though they’re real people, they felt like archetypes and I felt that they were doing the same to me. We were kind of using each other to figure something out about ourselves and the way we relate to people with sex and masculinity.
Something that’s really striking to your fans is the way you use your body to infuse your songs with feeling when you perform. At what point in the process leading up to tour do you think about how your body moves to the music? Is that an essential part of your songwriting process?
It’s more elemental in the beginning. I’ve only started thinking about the stage design and, over the last few days, mood boarding and talking. A lot goes into it beyond just the hippie stuff. It really feels like math a lot — I kind of have to zoom out and be very critical and analytical too. But I think it always starts with pinpointing a physical feeling that I want or need, or that I’m scared to have, and then trying to draw it out or embody it. And so when I’m writing, I have this wash come over me that I want to stay there. And maybe that’s how it is for everyone, but it feels very separate to me — thoughts and feelings. A lot of times, I can’t really unpack my feelings. I can’t articulate or organize my thoughts around them, so the songs become a way to get it out without having to describe it directly. You’re able to make a place for it where it can be the 90 things at once that it is and all the opposites and conflicting things. It’s really satisfying.
Finally, as an artist, you’ve had such an impact on the LGBTQ+ community and right now trans people are under attack. As an openly queer artist, how do you define your relationship to the queer community now?
I’ve always felt a sense of duty around that. I mean, I didn’t think anyone would ever listen to my first record and those songs. But when I realized people were listening to it, it felt very important for me to not censor or change any information or smooth any edges of anything that I feel compelled to talk about. Because it’s helpful — in music and movies and books, that’s how I felt less alone in my experience when I didn’t have a lot around me to make that happen. I had to really look to those things to make me feel safe and understood or excited for a future.
You know, I talk a lot about being isolated and internal and everything but I have found a community here more than any place I’ve ever lived. And with all the things going on, it feels really important just to take care of my friends and talk to them and just be really connected to people that are actually around me. You know what I mean? We can’t rely on anything to keep us safe. so that feels really important right now.
