

Whenever I started to develop, I started to come into my own as a trans woman. Reflecting on this, Cain recalled: "It was made clear to everyone that I was not like other people. On her 20th birthday, she publicly came out as a trans woman. She came out as gay to her family at the age of 12 and left the church at the age of 16. At age eight, Cain began studying classical piano, and her early musical influences included Karen Carpenter, the Steve Miller Band, and a variety of Christian music. Her father was a deacon and she was involved in the church choir from a young age.

Following its release, Cain garnered a cult following online.Ĭain was raised in Perry, Florida, the eldest of four children in a Southern Baptist family.

In 2022, Cain released her debut studio album, Preacher's Daughter, to widespread acclaim from music critics-many of whom called it one of the best albums of the year. Her music has been associated with the ambient, alternative rock, and dream pop genres. Cain's lyrics focus on nostalgic and Southern Gothic themes, such as poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence, death, and transgenerational trauma. She released multiple mixtapes and EPs on streaming platforms under various aliases, as well as to sites like SoundCloud and Tumblr, before adopting a more alternative sound and officially starting the Ethel Cain project in mid-2019. In mid-2017, Cain began experimenting with writing, recording, and producing her own ethereal style, inspired by Christian music and Gregorian chants. Hayden Silas Anhedönia (born March 24, 1998), known professionally as Ethel Cain, is an American singer-songwriter born in Tallahassee, Florida and living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
