Ethel Cain and Storytelling

Last weekend, I got to see Ethel Cain (Hayden Anhedönia) live at the Salt Shed on her Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour. I was introduced to her a couple years ago and immediately became obsessed. I really respected the fact that she writes, records, and produces almost everything herself - which is extremely rare in the modern music industry. I also appreciate when a music artist's fame is not all about their image - Hayden had no large screens at her concert with close ups of her face and didn’t talk much about herself. The concert was solely about the music. I absolutely love her voice, her melodies, and her aesthetic, but most of all the stories that she tells through her music. She wasn’t just singing songs but telling stories that transformed personal struggles into communal experiences. Her music often weaves complex narratives about identity, family, religion, and American culture. She has created this character (Ethel Cain) and given her an entire life and storyline. 

Photo from the concert!

In Creative Spark, Augustín Fuentes argues that storytelling is one of the most fundamental forms of human creativity. From ancient myths, to novels, to songs, telling stories allows us to make sense of our world and come together and share ideas. Ethel Cain’s concert was a perfect example of this. 

This connection has made me realize that creativity isn’t just about making art but about creating meaning and connection. Ethel Cain’s performance embodied exactly what Fuentes describes as the “spark” that makes humans so unique. Which is the ability to take a lived experience and transform it into a story to move others.