Image via Ethel Cain’s Facebook Page
Three years after its initial release, Preacher’s Daughter has ascended into the pantheon of chart history – becoming the first top 10 album in the US by an openly trans woman. Following the highly-anticipated vinyl release, Ethel Cain’s acclaimed 2022 debut surged into the top tier of the Billboard 200, also securing the number-one spot on Top Album Sales with an impressive 39,000 equivalent album units sold. The milestone not only marks Cain’s strongest sales week to date but also reaffirms her as a generational voice, blending Southern gothic imagery with heart-wrenching vulnerability and spiritual reckoning.
While other trans artists like Kim Petras have blazed historic trails – Petras won a Grammy Award and topped the Billboard Hot 100 with Sam Smith for ‘Unholy’ – Cain’s achievement on the Billboard 200 is uniquely monumental. Amidst a political landscape increasingly hostile to trans lives, especially under renewed pressure from the Trump administration, her chart success isn’t just personal – it’s cultural. Her rise offers tangible representation in a moment when visibility is more vital than ever, and Preacher’s Daughter, with its brooding elegance and cinematic sprawl, now stands as a landmark in trans artistry.
Looking ahead, Cain’s momentum shows no signs of slowing. Her sophomore album, Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You, is due in August 2025, promising a return to the mythic universe she’s steadily constructed—this time, as a prequel to Preacher’s Daughter, following last year’s ambient experiment Perverts. A full tour, Willoughby Tucker Forever, is set to accompany the release, with stops at major venues including Radio City Music Hall, London’s Eventim Apollo, and L’Olympia in Paris. Find more information on her website HERE.
With history already made, Ethel Cain is poised to redefine it once more.
