Mike Hadreas is sitting on his bed in his house in Los Angeles, peering out of the window at the few people who pass by. The American singer cuts a slight figure, dressed in a beige T-shirt with a small hoop in one ear, and is a deep thinker, sometimes taking upwards of ten seconds to answer a question. His voice is soft but suddenly sharpens when he tells a joke – which is often, and usually at his own expense. Periodically, he sips from a can of Coke Zero.
We are speaking over Zoom in mid-March, almost a month into California’s lockdown. We were originally due to meet in person in London, before his press tour was cancelled amid rising fears of international travel during the pandemic. His was my first major work cancellation, but soon became one of many. At the time, Hadreas says, “It felt maybe like we were being overly cautious. But we weren’t. I felt good about making that decision.” Now, like much of the rest of the world, he goes out only for essentials, to the pharmacy or the grocery store.
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