Apr 17
Ethel Cain Becomes First Trans Artist to Score a Top 10 Album
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Singer-songwriter Ethel Cain rocketed into the top 10 on music charts in the U.S. – a first for an openly transgender artist – as well as cracking the top 10 in the UK.
"The Florida-born singer-songwriter achieved the feat with her critically-acclaimed debut studio record, 'Preacher's Daughter,'" NME reported, "almost three years after its initial release in May 2022."
Added the writeup: "The LP failed to chart in the US in 2022, but has since grown in popularity." Thanks to that, the new vinyl release found an eager audience.
"Preacher's Daughter" entered the top 10 "behind Elton John and Brandi Carlile's 'Who Believes In Angels?' (Number Nine) and Bad Bunny's 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos' (Number Eight)," NME went on to detail.
The ranking is significant. "The closest a trans artist has come, prior to this, was when Germany-born singer Kim Petras' 2022 debut album 'Feed The Beast' peaked at number 52," Vice noted.
It's not unknown for years-old albums or singles to find new life and jump back into the zeitgeist. The Kate Bush song "Running Up That Hill" "reach[ed] the top 10 in 34 countries" in 2022 after only hitting No. 30 in 1985, when it was first released, thanks to the song being featured on a Season 4 episode of "Stranger Things."
Sometimes, all that's needed to boost an older album into the stratosphere is the release of a deluxe version of an already-beloved work; NPR noted that "Ariana Grande used that exact playbook to propel her 2024 album, Eternal Sunshine, from No. 87 all the way back to No. 1" recently.
"An epic concept album about family trauma – Cain, the trans daughter of a Baptist deacon, grew up homeschooled in Tallahassee, Fla. – 'Preacher's Daughter' draws on ambient music and assorted Gothic influences," NPR described, before calling it "a challenging but gorgeous record" even if "it's not the typical stuff of the Billboard top 10."
The warm welcome of the vinyl release sets the stage for Cain's next album. NPR also reported that "an official follow-up to 'Preacher's Daughter' – titled 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You' – is due out in August."
"Preacher's Daughter" spawned the music video "American Teenager." Watch it below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
