Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Mike Hadreas didnt listen to show tunes before he became stuck at home.
Just changing where Im at into somewhere else.
And I can listen to that and …
I dont know what else gives you that.
The genius of Perfume Genius is that every new album feels like Hadreas most realized project yet.
I think itll be messy, he says, but I mean, things have been messy forever.
Below, Hadreas recounts eight ofSet My Heart on Fire Immediatelys varied influences.
Also, I just love those songs, and Ive been carrying them around my whole life.
Especially when Im singing about things that dont feel traditional.
Also, the thing about Elvis is that hes hot.
And it almost heightened that feeling.
I just watched it like a regular movie.
Maybe you could feel it energetically.
Cause I could feel, when I was a kid and watchingHairspray,This makes sense to me.
Something about this feels good.
I like this movie.
[Now] Im like,Oh, you were a gay child!
Being creative and writing, especially writing, has always felt very solitary to me.
Whether that makes it good or bad, I have no idea.
[Laughs] But energetically, I was into it.
PJ Harvey
Shes singing about sex, and shes scary.
And you were scared of her she wasnt scared; you were scared of her.
Listening to albums likeTo Bring You My Lovewas really empowering.
I also grew up with this weird fear of the devil, like literally I was scared ofthe devil.
I was so scandalized by it, but it was also really empowering.
I like that feeling where the air gets cut.
Like, the energy in the room just gets cut.
You think its gonna be some way, but its not.
I like doing that at my shows.
Im not sure how much other people do or if its even translating.
I find it really off-putting.
And I just loved that.
I dont know if thats scary, but its definitely something.
It was kind of mean to the person listening.
Not a lot of my songs are like that, but that one kind of is.
I grew up just obsessed with musicians who could do that.
When youre young and listening to Bjork, albums likeHomogenicandVespertine, shes somewhere else.
Bjork is clearly not locked into a mode.
Its very clear that shes never resting, that shes always searching and leveling up.
I hope to bring some of that, if I can.
Its kind of cruisy, and its in between dance and not dance.
That was the idea I wanted for the video: something in between all of those.
[Laughs]
Getting old
You know when dads just stop changing their clothes?
They get locked into some time period.
I never want to get locked into some mode.
I just hope that I keep making sure that I keep myself uncomfortable and moving around and shifting around.
You would think itd be the opposite.
And I kind of hope it is.
