Preacher's Daughter: Rises to the charts
- Hudson Smith
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Ethel Cain, also known as Hayden Silas Anhedönia, was born on March 14, 1998. She was raised in Florida and is the eldest of four children. Hayden had been homeschooled her whole life and was raised in a very church friendly background. Since she was 8 years old, she had been involved in her local church choir group, which eventually led to her becoming an indie artist. She began making music in 2017, experimenting with various genres and aliases.
Ethel Cain’s musical journey began under the name White Silas, when she uploaded Gregorian chant-inspired singles and mixtapes to platforms like SoundCloud and Tumblr. By the summer of 2019, Anhedönia adopted the name Ethel Cain, shifting her artistic identity to reflect a more personal vision. She was drawn to the idea of a “womanly, matronly, old American name,” while also referencing the biblical figure of Cain. Her debut EP as Ethel Cain, Carpet Bed, was released on September 13, 2019, followed by Golden Age just a few months later, on December 1. The latter project caught the attention of Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, who praised her for her mature songwriting and melodic instincts. His endorsement helped Cain connect with rapper Lil Aaron in January 2020, after performing alongside acts like Edith Underground, Girlfriend, and Lil Bo Weep in Los Angeles. Impressed by her talent, Lil Aaron introduced her to the publishing company Prescription Songs, where she signed shortly thereafter.
Personal life and Identities
Cain first came out as gay at age 12, and later, on her 20th birthday, publicly embraced her identity as a trans woman. “It was me versus my whole town,” she recalled, reflecting on her early experiences and the isolation she faced. Now identifying as a bisexual woman, Cain has also shared that she is autistic, something she discovered in adulthood. Her sensory perception deeply informs her creative process: “Music is not just something you listen to… I imagine the bass is the earth, the vocals are high in the sky.” Spiritually, Cain has a complex relationship with her Southern Baptist upbringing. Though she no longer identifies as Christian, she still holds onto values like kindness and love, choosing to engage with her faith history thoughtfully rather than reject it outright.
Tik Tok and Rise in Popularity
On July 21, 2022, Ethel Cain debuted her music video for her song "American Teenager". This song was featured on her debut album Preacher's Daughter and was a hit success on YouTube. The video itself got over 4 million views and still continues to grow every passing day. However, all of this popularity was not immediately granted upon Cain, but it took a turn for the best when her album dropped. There were two singles for the album: American Teenager (released on April 21) and Strangers (released on April 7). Ethel Cain is no stranger to the music industry as she performed her set at the 22nd Annual Coachella Music Festival. Her songs also began to trend on TikTok with each of them having a unique trend dedicated to each song. Strangers, for example, had many people feeling emotional and "crashing out" based on the lyrics: "Am I making you feel sick?". Cain also inspired many new artists in the spotlight such as Gracie Abrahms covering her song American Teenager. Many fans prefer not to associate Gracie with Ethel as they have very different styles in music, but others argue that Gracie brought Ethel more popularity than she already had.
Preacher's Daughter Vinyl and chart success
Any vinyl collector would know that bootlegs are no stranger to the community. Ethel Cain had not released an official vinyl for her debut album Preacher's Daughter, hence why there would be so many bootlegs. Cain was unbothered by this as she was happy that her fans could listen to the physical copies of her music. On April 4, 2025, Cain finally announced an official release of her debut album on vinyl. Some copies included a poster while others just included the two standard disks with an exclusive sticker. Personally, I own both the poster and normal version of the vinyl as I am an Ethel Cain stan and love collecting anything she drops. This vinyl sale had an impact on her career as did the entire music industry as a whole. In its first week alone, Cain sold over 37,000 copies of the vinyl, which included the indie exclusive vinyl with different gatefolds/inserts. From this, Cain's album debuted number 10 on the Billboard Hot 200 which was the highest the album has ever peaked. On top of that, Ethel Cain was the first ever openly transgender woman in the history of the industry to earn a top 10 release on the Billboard Hot 200. From this, Ethel's Music gained much more traction and increased her popularity even more.
What's Next for the children of cain?
On January 8, 2025, Ethel Cain released Perverts, an experimental drone project first teased with the single “Punish.” Looking ahead, Cain is set to release her second album, Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You, in August 2025, a prequel to Preacher’s Daughter, alongside the launch of her Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour. As a Child of Cain myself, yes this is her actual fanbase name, I have already bought my tickets for her upcoming tour. Ethel Cain as an artist has helped me get through the hardest times of my life and I was able to find comfort in all of her music, no matter the song. Her music is not for everyone, I will admit, and I have experienced this first handed with my brother. My brother and I have very different takes in music, and I have repeatedly played Ethel Cain for him in the car every single morning. It is always a different song, but he cannot get into the rhythm of Cain. My brother declined to comment on his stance on Ethel Cain with only muttering the words 'She sucks'. From this, I have decided to not share Ethel Cain with my brother and keep her for myself. My family knows my obsession with her and question how I can enjoy Taylor Swift and Ethel Cain in the same playlist. Only time will tell how much more I can love her based on her new album. The album is set to release before the tour starts and I cannot wait to here what Ethel has created with this piece of art.
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