CAIN CULTO
ARTIST / SONGWRITER / SINGER / RAPPER
The lore of Technicolor pop-witch Cain Culto is layered and complex. Channeling the bold musical influences of Santigold, Prince, Tyler, The Creator, and Madonna, Culto displays an undeniable pop sensibility with global influences.
The result is irreverent, bold, and a lot of fun. Cain Culto has invented a playfully provocative style, pulling at the threads of faith, politics, race, and capitalism in the form of wild-eyed, exciting pop music. An antidote to insipid, milquetoast culture - Culto is bursting with ideas and insight.
Born Andrew Estevan Padilla, he became a worship pastor in his teens, releasing music under the acclaimed moniker ‘Ecclesia’.
It was a conflicted time. Growing up hiding his queerness, the struggle to reconcile his identity with the teachings of his church left Padilla feeling fragmented. He chose to shed that skin, and Cain Culto was born.
‘Cain Culto’ refers to the shadowy, fratricidal old testament character of Cain, and the Spanish word for worship ‘Culto’. For Padilla, it represents a realignment with spirituality, sexuality and everything in between. Culto is what you see in it - for some that’s darkness, whilst others may see liberation and light. Culto describes his music as being “for anyone that can relate to the feeling of being rejected, being ostracized, being misunderstood.”
Culto is a true generational talent. He writes original pop music, loaded with meaning and intelligence, is a gifted vocalist and charismatic performer. With some high profile vocal features brewing and bags of new material in development. It’s not a question of if, but when his name becomes ubiquitous.