Ethel Cain is the stage name of Hayden Silas Anhedönia (born 1998, Tallahassee, Florida), a singer-songwriter, producer, and model who writes, records, and mixes everything herself. Raised in a Southern Baptist family in rural Florida - her father was a church deacon - she left the church at 16 and came out as a transgender woman at 20, experiences that feed directly into her music. Her 2022 debut album Preacher's Daughter, a Southern Gothic concept record, earned widespread critical acclaim and a devoted cult following; in 2025 she released the experimental drone project Perverts and her second studio album Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You, a narrative prequel to the debut.
Ethel Cain released her second studio album Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You on August 8, 2025, to critical acclaim (Metacritic score: 83/100).
Following the album release, Cain announced she intends to retire the Ethel Cain persona once the current album cycle concludes.
A limited vinyl reissue of Preacher's Daughter debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200, making Cain the first openly transgender artist to reach the chart's top ten.
IMG Models signed Cain to their roster in February 2025, formalising her growing presence in fashion campaigns for Givenchy, Miu Miu, and Marc Jacobs.
Cain released Perverts on January 8, 2025, a self-produced 90-minute drone and dark ambient project that marked a sharp stylistic departure from her debut.
