Hayden Silas Anhedönia, known professionally as Ethel Cain, is a North American singer and songwriter.
Raised in a Southern Baptist family, she attended church and was involved in choir singing from a young age. In mid 2017, Cain began experimenting with writing, recording and producing her own ethereal style, inspired by Christian music and Gregorian chants. After releasing various mixtapes and EPs on streaming platforms as well as sites like SoundCloud and Tumblr, she adopted a more alternative sound and began using the Ethel Cain moniker in mid 2019. Cain's lyrics focus on nostalgic and Southern Gothic themes, such as poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence, death and transgenerational trauma. Her music has been associated with the ambient, alternative rock and dream pop genres.
In 2022, Cain released her debut studio album, Preacher's Daughter, to widespread acclaim from english speaking music critics — many of whom called it one of the best albums of the year.