Ethel Cain

Ethel Cain is the stage name of Hayden Silas Anhedönia, a singer-songwriter born in Tallahassee, Florida. Her music is characterized by a distinctive Southern Gothic aesthetic, often exploring themes of intergenerational trauma and religious imagery.

She grew up in a Southern Baptist family as the eldest of four children. Both her truck driver father and mother were deeply involved in their church.

Cain's personal journey includes leaving the church at 16 after coming out as gay at 12, and publicly coming out as a transgender woman on her 20th birthday, legally changing her name to Hayden Silas Anhedönia. She identifies as a bisexual woman and was diagnosed with autism as an adult.