You can hear bedroom pop, Lana Del Rey-inspired torch songs, country music and emo in Ethel Cain’s music. You can also hear tortured lyrics that speak of family violence, poverty and the agonies of television evangelism. One of her singles is called American Teenager, and this singer-songwriter experienced first-hand the opposite of the American Dream having to overcome many ordeals, notably being rejected by her Southern town when she came out as trans and changed her name. Brought up as a Baptist, this force of nature started singing in the church choir where her father was a deacon – hence the title of her first album, Preacher’s Daughter, released in 2022, which is completely autobiographical.
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