Living legacies: how Hayley Williams and Ethel Cain are paving the way for a new generation of artists

By Caitlin Auty

When we think about legacy, we often think about what a person leaves behind after they die. For example, the memories a person creates, or lessons passed down between generations. However, when it comes to artists, particularly musicians, legacy begins to take on a whole new meaning. For me, legacy in the musical sphere is not only the ability to establish one’s lyricism and artistry, but also one’s ability to create music as an act of political resistance, break down barriers within the music industry itself, and expose oneself to a level of vulnerability by discussing the harsh realities of so-called ‘controversial’ matters. I believe that two artists who encapsulate this, and who are currently establishing their own legacies whilst alive, are Hayley Williams and Ethel Cain. 

This summer, I had the pleasure of attending the Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party tour at the Manchester Academy, and The Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour at the Piece Hall in Halifax. Both gigs were sold out and were in smaller capacity venues of around 2,600 and 5,500 respectively. 

Legacy in the musical sphere is […] [to] break down barriers within the music industry itself, and expose oneself to a level of vulnerability by discussing the harsh realities of so-called ‘controversial’ matters

Hayden Silas Anhedönia, better known by the stage name of Ethel Cain, was the opening act for boygenius at the Piece Hall in 2023, which I also previously attended. Openers are notoriously subjected to the indifference of an audience, and this was no different for Cain, with the crowd acting seemingly bored, not particularly engaging except to sing along to Cain’s hit song American Teenager. Skip to three years later, and the audience know every word, even the less popular B-sides, interweaving hits from Preacher’s Daughter and Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You. Cain’s growth in her artistry and legacy stood out to me in this moment, conveying how much her career has expanded in a significantly short amount of time and simultaneously filling the fangirl in me with a sense of pride. 

Cain, who is known for her music inspired by her relationship with Christianity and being raised in the Southern Baptist tradition, has cemented her legacy through her artistry by exploring religious trauma and the dark underbelly of experiencing religious small towns through her lyricism. Cain’s aesthetic is largely Southern Gothic, which, in a cultural zeitgeist of American Christianity being used to spread hate and defend conflict, could not be more relevant in light of the Trump Administration. 

By speaking out against the existence of religious hypocrisy in the USA, through songs such as Sun Bleached Flies and American Teenager, Cain has established herself as an artist who harnesses both the dark side and bright side of her religious upbringing, toying with the fundamentalist Christian view that ‘God loves you, but not enough to save you’. 

It is important to note that Cain is a transgender woman, a group who are currently under severe political attack from various governments across the world, including the USA. Being openly transgender allows Cain to emphasise that queerness and faith do not have to be viewed as separate entities, but rather two things that can be in dialogue with one another. Additionally, as her music particularly reaches towards a younger audience, Cain yet again contributes to her own legacy by being a queer figure that has had a complex relationship with the Church, thus showcasing to a younger generation that a queer identity does not have to be incompatible with a religious one. 

As with Cain, this was not my first experience of seeing Hayley Williams in performance, having previously seen her during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, as a member of Paramore. Attending the Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party tour in Manchester was my first experience of Williams outside of Paramore, and simultaneously within a much smaller venue, creating an intimate atmosphere with the famed singer. 

I profess that whilst my experience with Williams’ music had largely been in relation to Paramore when attending this show, we the audience did not experience her as Hayley Williams, frontwoman of Paramore, but rather Hayley Williams, the solo artist. The crowd became fully immersed with Williams’ storytelling through the entirety of Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party being played, which was almost akin to experiencing the emergence of a new artist. 

Whilst already having two previous albums, Ego Death feels particularly striking, with Williams honing her pop-punk strengths and utilising the confidence found through enduring a significantly destructive industry to speak on amongst a plethora of things: her struggles with depression, her experiences with generational trauma, and the complexities of her relationship to country music and its political associations. 

Williams demonstrated that despite her popularity and longevity in the industry, she is an artist who puts her fanbase first, distinguishing herself as someone who has integrity

Considering the difficulty surrounding ticket purchasing for concerts over the last few years, Williams set out to make sure that dedicated, true fans were at the forefront, rather than scalpers and bots. Whilst other artists often wilfully ignore the rising prices, Williams demonstrated that despite her popularity and longevity in the industry, she is an artist who puts her fanbase first, distinguishing herself as someone who has integrity. In addition to this, Williams often uses her lyricism as an act of political resistance. 

Like Cain, Williams also explores her own relationship with faith, being raised in a Southern Christian environment. A song that is notably layered with religious resentment is ‘True Believer’, one which truly resonated with the audience, allowing their anger and hurt at a world which allows and advocates for violence in light of religion, particularly at the moment regarding Christianity in the USA. 

One lyric that I found deeply poignant is ‘The South will not rise again / ‘Til it’s paid for every sin’, with Williams establishing her own legacy as an artist who reflects on her Southern Christian upbringing and the deeply complex history of the South in relation to its racialised violence, thus implying that until the South confronts its own dark history, it cannot heal. 

Both Cain and Williams are exemplifying what it means to be an artist with integrity. I feel that both are establishing legacies which will endure beyond their living careers. 

Image: Wikimedia Commons