Born And Raised In A Southern Baptist Household Singer Ethel Cain No Longer Considers Herself A Christian

If you are born different than society’s pre-shaped mold of how and what you should be, then trying to be your authentic self can be seen as a rebellion. When you are told that this runs in the family, you need to have the guts to say; this is where it runs out. We are who we are, and whether society accepts it or not, we need to accept it first.

Such is the story of Hayden Silar Anhedönia, known by her moniker Ethel Cain. A critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who hails from Tallahassee, Florida. Being raised in a typical Southern Baptist family, her story of coming out and embracing her true self is quite exemplary. In this article, we talk about the singer’s life story.

Early Life

Hayden Silar Anhedonia was born on March 24, 1998. She is the oldest of four kids. Her father was a deacon, while her mother was involved in the church choir. Anhedonia was exposed to music at eight when she began studying classical piano. She was born and raised in a typical Christain household where she always felt like a loner for most of her childhood.

At 12, Ethel came out of the closet and told her mom that she liked boys. Two years later, she left the church and started seeing a therapist as per her parents’ wish. Her therapist was the first person who told her that she wasn’t going to hell for who she liked. She remembers being treated differently by her friends’ parents and wasn’t allowed to go on sleepovers at their houses.

Heyden hadn’t heard about the word transgender until the age of 15. But all her life, she felt a little out of place. When she googled the meaning of transgender, it felt like she discovered what she was seeking. She found herself a means to live her true self, and at the age of 20, Anhedonia came out as trans.

Growing up, the musician never idolized anyone, as no one was singing about how exactly she felt. This led to her thinking if she is the only one in this world who feels such a way. The media representation at that time was none compared to now. So feeling alone was a given. Coming out as gay was hard for the singer. Some Christian parents at her high school were accusing her of practicing witch at the age of 14.

Being raised in a typical conservative Christian household, Hayden wasn’t allowed to surf the internet and listen to non-Christian music or pick out her own clothes. So to escape her strict religious community, she began daydreaming about being a successful singer going on tour, doing interviews, and living in a mansion. Cain calls herself stubborn enough to make it happen and reckons it to be a stepping stone for where she is today.

She moved out at 18 from her parent’s house and started making music in 2017. The musician was considering to get enrolled in the Florida State University film school. She began creating music on GarageBand, an app used to create music or podcasts. She released her works to her friends and followers on Twitter and Instagram under White Silas and Atlas. This is how her musical career began.

Musical Career

In 2020, Cain was discovered by rapper Lil Aaron. She signed a contract with Prescription Songs soon after meeting Aaron. In August 2020, she finished recording her first EP titled Inbred. Cain released her first single, “Michelle Pfeiffer,” featuring Lil Aaron, under the new publishing contract in February 2021.  The song premiered on Paper and was featured in America’s top magazines like Pitchfork, Billboard, Nylon, and The Fader. Cain released her second and third singles, “Crush”  and “Unpunishable,” consecutively. On May 12, 2022, She released her debut album, Preacher’s Daughter.

Cain has toured many places in America, the UK, and Europe. She also has tour dates lined up for 2023. Her ability to get the audience transfixed with her husky voice and lyrical masterpiece has resulted in many sold-out shows. With a growing fan base, Ethel has managed to be a voice for her fellow queers and continues showing her raw, unfiltered self and experiences through her music.

Is Ethel Cain Still A Believer?

Ethen believes the real spookiness isn’t with satan, but it’s very much with God. During an interview, when asked, she mentioned that God has always been a huge part of her life, and she does not intend to escape her upbringing. In her Tumblr, when Cain was asked if she still considers herself a Christian, then she replied with a straight no. Even though she still abides by some Christian values, she does not care about religion anymore. Having a peculiar outlook on life and everything, Cain believes nothing is more horrifying and dramatic than devoting one’s life to god. Many fans are drawn to her uniqueness and new narrative in American music.

She isn’t religious but has become a lot more spiritual. Being compared to Lana Del Ray, Cain’s music is viewed without a rose-tinted glass. It is an utter and raw representation of love, loss, substance abuse, and religious angst written by her alter-ego, Ethel. While others glamourize the music, she likes to make sense of her troubles instead of running from them.

Hayden considers Ethel Cain as an amalgamation of her greatest wishes and her greatest fears psychologically. According to her, Ethel is like a troubled child whom Hayden tries to save. The singer has perceived Ethel as a statue of womanhood, a flawless powerful feminine character, and she revealed that Ethel was modeled after her mother and all the women that raised her.

In the beginning, her Hayden-self was broken and scared, while her Ethel-self was perfect. But with time, the torch was passed to one another, and she realized Ethel was no better as she had flaws too. Hence, the idea behind Ethel being perfect came to an end in Preacher’s Daughter, as seen in the powerful lyrics of that song.

We hope the roads gets more easier for her in the coming days and achieve the recognition she deserves.

For more updates on Entertainment, Celebrity Babies, YouTubers, and Movies & T.V. Series, follow eCelebrityMirror.