Hayden Silas Anhedonia is the artist behind Ethel Cain.Hayden Silas Anhedönia was born on March 24, 1998, in Tallahassee, Florida. She is the eldest of four children in a Southern Baptist family. Her father was a deacon, and she was involved in the church choir from a young age, like her mother. At age 8, Anhedönia began studying classical piano, with musical influences from a variety of Christian music. The church was Anhedönia's first exposure to music.
Anhedönia's musical style has been classified as indie rock, gothic, contemporary folk, alternative pop, slowcore, Americana, and ambient. She also finds inspiration from gospel music, country music, classic rock, and alternative music. After Anhedönia gained popularity with her single "Crush" from her EP Inbred (2021), this song being more pop-oriented than her usual alternative style, she talked about her "fear" of making pop music, saying that "once you make pop music, your other genres won't be taken as seriously", but "she has worked to make the music she wants." Anhedönia plans to release a book surrounding the story of her album Preacher's Daughter alongside a film once her trilogy albums are released.
Music critics have praised the "cinematography" in her songs, due to Anhedönia's interest in movies and building songs with scenes and characters. According to BroadwayWorld, Anhedönia musically combines "elements of rock, country and cinematic nostalgia" paired with "ethereal vocals and raw lyrics to create her unique sound". Her early musical influences included Karen Carpenter, the Steve Miller Band, and a variety of Christian music. Discovering pop music as a teenager, Anhedönia named Florence Welch, lead vocalist of the band Florence and the Machine, as her "teen idol".