2017–2021: Career beginnings and EPs Anhedönia officially started making music in 2017, experimenting with "dreamy bedroom pop demos" under different monikers. As White Silas, she first published
Gregorian chant-inspired singles and mixtapes to
SoundCloud and
Tumblr, the latter now having been deactivated and no longer associated with the artist. In 2019, Anhedönia started recording music as Ethel Cain, which became her current main project. For the new moniker, she thought of a "womanly, matronly, old American name", while also taking inspiration from the biblical figure of
Cain. Her first extended play as Ethel Cain,
Carpet Bed, consisted of four songs and was released on September 13, 2019. Months later, she released her second EP,
Golden Age, on December 1. In January 2020, after recommendation from Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Cain was discovered by the rapper
Lil Aaron while headlining a show with Edith Underground, Girlfiend, and
Lil Bo Weep in
Los Angeles. She was then invited by him to meet with the publishing company
Prescription Songs and signed with them soon after. In February 2021, Cain released her debut
single as Ethel Cain while under the new publishing contract, "
Michelle Pfeiffer", which featured Lil Aaron. The song was described by
Billboard as
alternative rock,
folk,
pop and "even
country". Her second single, "
Crush", followed on March 18 and received a
music video on August 3. The two singles were part of her third EP,
Inbred, which was released on April 23. The
ambient-
folk and
slowcore EP was named by
Pitchfork as one of The 49 Most Anticipated Albums of Spring 2021 and received a score of 7.6 out of 10 by the website. Later on August 24, a stripped version of "Crush" was also published. On March 8, 2022, she released a
cover of the song "
Everytime" by
Britney Spears as part of
Spotify Singles, in observance of
International Women's Day.
2022–2024: Breakthrough with ''Preacher's Daughter'' festival in 2023, as part of her
Blood Stained Blonde Tour On March 17, 2022, Cain released the single "
Gibson Girl" and subsequently announced her debut album, titled ''
Preacher's Daughter'' and released on May 12, 2022, through her own
record label, Daughters of Cain. A
concept album that creates a narrative "centered around the character Ethel Cain", it received a positive reception from music critics and was named one of the best albums of the year. It was also preceded by the release of the singles "
Strangers" on April 7 and "
American Teenager" on April 21, the latter receiving a music video on July 21. In support of the album, Cain embarked on the
Freezer Bride Tour in 2022 and the
Blood Stained Blonde Tour in 2023. She was also an opening act at one concert of
Florence and the Machine's
Dance Fever Tour and
Caroline Polachek's
Spiraling Tour. Cain performed at the
22nd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2023. On June 3, 2023, Cain fainted on stage while performing at the
Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, as part of
Vivid Live, resulting in the show's cancellation. She returned to performing the next day. She also performed at
Reading Festival and
Gunnersbury Park with
Boygenius and
Muna in August 2023. On December 5, 2023, Cain announced
the Childish Behaviour Tour, an eight-show tour that began on June 3, 2024 and was slated to end on June 27, 2024. After sharing the song on
SoundCloud a year before, on July 21, 2023, she released "
Famous Last Words (An Ode to Eaters)", inspired by
Luca Guadagnino's film
Bones and All, along with
1017 ALYX 9SM. With a "darkly poignant" music video, it was included in the project's first
compilation album. In that year, Cain appeared as a guest vocalist on the songs "Dying Star" by
Ashnikko and "222" by Angel Diaz (also known as Vyva Melinkolya) from the albums
Weedkiller and
Unbecoming, respectively. Cain placed on the
Forbes 30 Under 30 2024 for Music. She opened for
Mitski's 2024 concert tour in support of her album
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (2023). On February 14, 2024, she released a song titled "من النهر” (meaning "
From the River"), which she described as a "prayer" for
Palestinians. On September 5, 2024, Cain released a cover of the track "For Sure", which appeared on
American Football: Covers, a
cover album by the American emo band
American Football in tribute to their
1999 record of the same name. Days later, they performed the track together at the
El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. in October 2025 |319x319px
2025–present: ''Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You'' On January 8, 2025, Cain released the studio recording
Perverts. An experimental
drone project, it was preceded by the release of the lead single, "
Punish". Cain stated that she decided to release it since she liked the genre and wanted to make drone music of her own. In April 2025, ''Preacher's Daughter
received a vinyl release, which caused it to debut on various charts worldwide, including the US Billboard
200 at number ten, marking her first entry on the chart. The album also debuted atop Billboard''s
Top Album Sales chart. Cain's second studio album, ''
Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You, was released on August 8, 2025. The album was preceded by the singles "Nettles", and "Fuck Me Eyes". The album serves as a prequel to Preacher's Daughter'' and accompanied by
the Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour. == Artistry ==