Ethel Cain becomes first openly trans artist to score US top 10 album

Ethel Cain has become the first openly trans artist to score a top 10 album in the US.

The Florida-born singer-songwriter achieved the feat with her critically-acclaimed debut studio record, ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ – almost three years after its initial release in May 2022.

• READ MORE: Ethel Cain – Perverts review: daring discomfort from a true cult star

Cain co-produced the 13-track collection alongside Matthew Tomasi. It contains the singles ‘Gibson Girl’, ‘Strangers’ and ‘American Teenager’.

The LP failed to chart in the US in 2022, but has since grown in popularity. ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ also enjoyed a surge in sales thanks to a recent vinyl pressing. The album sold an equivalent of 39,000 units between April 4 and April 10 – marking Cain’s most successful chart week yet.

It is currently new in at Number 10 on the Billboard 200 in the States, behind Elton John and Brandi Carlile‘s ‘Who Believes In Angels?’ (Number Nine) and Bad Bunny‘s ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ (Number Eight).

Cain is the first openly trans artist to earn a top 10 album in the US.

The record for the highest-charting album by a trans artist was previously held by Germany’s Kim Petras, whose 2022 debut album ‘Feed The Beast’ peaked at number 52 in the States.

Petras is still the first trans artist to achieve a Number One single in the US with 2022’s ‘Unholy’ featuring Sam Smith. The collaboration also saw her become the first trans artist to win the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance the following year.

Additionally, ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ entered the top 10 in the UK last week for the very first time (via Official Charts).

Cain is set to release her second album, ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’, in August. The forthcoming record will serve as a prequel to ‘Preacher’s Daughter’, and was preceded by this year’s ‘Perverts’ EP.

The musician is scheduled to showcase her new full-length on her biggest headline tour to date later this year.

Cain will take to the stage in venues including London’s Eventim Apollo, Paris’ L’Olympia, New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium, and Berkeley’s Greek Theater. Find any remaining tickets here (UK) and here (North America).

In a four-star review of ‘Perverts’, NME wrote: “Casual fans may not last even three minutes. But for those who are willing to sit with its discomfort, ‘Perverts’ reveals hidden depths – the same way that eyes need time to adjust to low light. What it reflects is in the eye of the beholder.”

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