Hayden Silas Anhedönia, professionally known as Ethel Cain, is an extremely talented trans singer-songwriter and model from Tallahassee, Florida, where she derives her musical inspiration.
Christian music and traditional Gregorian chants. Her lyrics generally depict a reflective, Southern Gothic, Americana theme. Some have associated her music with indie and folk genres, but her music is too diverse to be contained by these labels.
Ethel comes from a southern background, singing in a church choir like her mother. Throughout her young life, she was surrounded by music. Church is where her fascination with music started. At age eight, she began showing interest in studying classical piano, with influences from a variety of Christian music. Cain reflected on her experiences growing up with a religious background in a 2021 interview, saying that now she still considers herself a Southern Baptist: “Whether I like it or not, God always has and always will be a huge part of my life. Whether he’s being used as a comforting figure or a threat, I’ve always been surrounded by it.” Giving a new and interesting perspective on religion that many modern artists haven’t shared.
Cain gained popularity in the media following the release of her single “Crush,” a more mainstream pop version of her usual style. In an interview with Interview Magazine, she expressed her hesitance toward releasing pop music and said that it’s hard to create both pop music and also be recognized for her other genres. However, she’d found a way to work through it in order to continue creating the music she wanted.
Along with taking inspiration from Christian and classical music from her earlier life, she discovered artists such as Karen Carpenter, the Steve Miller Band, and Florence Welch in her teenage years and named them her “teen idols.”
Many recognize Cain for her heavy lyrics and slow gothic melodies, which is no exception to her album Preacher’s Daughter, which showcases the skill she has in story telling. The album follows the life and death of a character, appropriately identified as Ethel Cain, and the tragedy of abuse and assault inflicted by someone close.
Music critics have recognized her ability to incorporate cinematography into her music, which ties to her fascination with film and building visual scenes and characters. According to an interview during Coachella, she feels that her music, relating to the record Preacher’s Daughter, is a way for her to release her fears for the future and reflect on how her life might be different if she were to travel down a darker path of life.
The way that Cain challenges so many stereotypes and continues to create space for trans, Southern Gothic women in the music industry is truly inspiring. As well as her ability to merge different genres like country, indie, folk, and slow rock through her instrumentals, as well as being able to balance intensity and femininity through her lyrics.
