Late last year, Perfume Genius (real name Mike Hadreas) teamed up with W Records, a new label from W Hotels Worldwide, to share a pair of new recordings: a cover of Bobby Darin’s “Not For Me,” and an alternate version of his own song, “Alan.” Now the label has shared a new mini documentary that’s about the process of recording these two songs, as well as Hadreas’ origins and come-up.
He said of his early days, “I think I was longing for some sort of magic because I felt off. I was little, I was weird, I was gay… it was partly why I made music. All the defenses that you use to kind of navigate all that ends up being kind of magical and important, eventually.” He added, “Music was always a part of my life. I grew up here [in Seattle] going to shows all the time. That’s when you need music the most, when you’re a teenager.”
Hadreas also explained the significance of his song “Alan,” saying, “We’ve been together for a really long time, and he’s been part of the music this whole time. He’s played every single show with me, he’s played on the records. Just acknowledging him and our relationship, which I don’t do very often because I don’t really acknowledge good things often, to be honest.”
Watch the video above.
