Over the past decade, Cain Culto, whose real name is Andrew Estevan Padilla, has delivered viral hits by tapping into the elements that have shaped his core identity.
Hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, the Christian-raised Culto found solace in spirituality. His visuals often take inspiration from mythology and witchcraft, while his sounds are just as fluid as his sexual and gender expression, often combining Latin violin compositions with rhythmic pop and hip-hop beats.
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We chatted with Culto via Zoom in the middle of Pride Month, which has been a busy season for him. “I was just in London for Mighty Hoopla, which was such a blast,” Culto tells Queerty. “Out Loud in WeHo was so fun as well. And then Pittsburgh Pride was randomly so fun too. I’m just excited to have more music out and keep traveling.”
On top of a busy schedule, Culto was putting the final touches on his new EP Occulto 002, out Friday, July 10.
Ahead of the EP, Culto recently released “BIMBAMBAU,” a Gloria Estefan-interpolating track with hyperpop energy, crafted to make you hit the dancefloor and shake your a**, letting go of the fear of judgment. The song was inspired by Estefan’s Abriendo Puertas album, which was one of Culto’s favorites growing up.
“I grew up in a really musical family,” Culto says. “My dad loves music, and he plays guitar, he makes guitars too. We bonded over that, and, but I was just like a really musical kid. My parents noticed at a young age how much I love the arts — whether it was visual arts, or just being obsessed with looping songs over and over. I just had this childlike freedom that I fought to not outgrow.”
Culto’s prowess for multiple genres is evident in the way he rides a beat with ease. But he has a firm understanding of musical foundations. Before he gained a following as a beloved rapper and singer in the LGBTQ+ community, Culto took up violin as a member of the church.
“I would play violin in worship bands at church and youth groups and stuff, but I always wanted to sing,” Culto recalls. “Somedays [the director] would be like ‘Oh, so-and-so called out, they can’t sing today, they’re sick.’ And then I’m like ‘Well, maybe I’ll do backup vocals.’ I remember it would always be drama. It’s so funny, people build their identity around who they are in these church worship groups, like ‘I’m the lead vocalist.’ And I would always rise within the ranks really quickly.”
His stint with the church led to him forming a Christian band called Ecclesia. But after coming out as gay, he left the Christian faith behind.
These days, Culto considers himself more spiritual than religious.
“I grew up in fundamentalist spaces, so everything that wasn’t white and Christian was demonic,” Culto says. “Now, I’ve learned to unpack those thoughts and ideas. For me, spirituality is just much more playful, and it’s anything that helps me be more grounded, and helps me express myself in a more free way to make sense of the universe. I hold my spiritual beliefs open-handedly. It can work for one season, and then I let it go for another. That’s what’s healthy for me, and that’s what works for me.”
Perhaps the strongest example of Culto’s spirituality is his 2025 music video for his song “KFC Santeria.” Driven by a violin and drum instrumental, “KFC Santeria” features Culto as he finds healing in sensuality. “Set it ablaze in flames I’ma stage up a coup / Red head setting them loose / Pentecostal power like ‘poof’ / They feel the Holy Ghost on me,” Culto raps on one of the song’s verses. The accompanying video features Culto dancing in a room painted by chicken blood, and setting chicken bones in a pentagram.
“It was me, in the most explicit way, owning being raised in Kentucky,” says Culto. “Santeria is a nod to my spiritual journey. Santeria is a tradition that was birthed out of rejection of colonialism. It’s one of the most rebellious aspects of white colonization in the spiritual space, so to me it was a nod of taking back the power.”
Occulto 002 will touch on more of these elements, and dig deeper into Culto’s roots. On the standout track “Cucuru,” Culto recalls the events that led to him being kicked out of his church communities.
One of Culto’s favorites on the EP, called “A Plague, A Pestilence” breaks down “the fears of where we’re heading as a society with the climate crisis, and even just politically with fascism.” And this time, Culto isn’t holding back.
“Occulto 002 is kind of taking everything from that first EP and heightening it,” says Culto. “Even in the cover art. The first one was gray and kind of death skeletal. This one’s fiery, it’s orange and red, it has tusks. It’s more about not retreating so much, but asserting oneself into the world.”
Much of the EP was produced by Culto himself in his bedroom studio, with co-production by Cary Singer and mixing by Nate Young. With his new music, Culto encapsulates the feelings of being Latino, queer, and spiritual in a climate that feels targeted against people like us.
“I create for the people that I love,” says Culto. “It’s my immigrant communities, it’s my family, and it’s my friends, which are all either lesbians, gays, and trans girls. Those are my people, so I’m just gonna write for them.”
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