Mike Hadreas had already lived a lot of life before he became Perfume Genius. Growing up, he struggled with Crohn's disease, and the cruelty of homophobic bullies in high school. He witnessed domestic abuse, and then he had his own battle with substance abuse. A stint in New York led him back home to Seattle, and to rehab. And then, on the other side of it all, he decided to start making songs. All of which is to say: By the time Mike Hadreas became Perfume Genius, he had already survived and become another version of himself. But once he did take on the name and began releasing albums, it was evident just how many versions there could be.