Singer duets with pre-transition self

A musician and former X Factor finalist has released videos in which he duets with recordings of himself from before his transition from being female.

Dylan Holloway, who performs as Dylan and the Moon, pairs current vocals with earlier recordings, creating what he describes as a conversation between his past and present identities.

The videos have attracted widespread attention on social media, where audiences have praised their emotional resonance and message about self-acceptance.

Holloway, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: "I wanted to just move on, however my lovely mum suggested that I don't delete my stuff just yet because you never know how time heals you."

Holloway said his mum's advice allowed him to revisit his past with a different perspective, adding he could now look back "with such love and compassion and gratitude for bringing me to be the person I am now".

He says within the transgender community there can be pressure to reject earlier identities, explaining: "You have to prove you hated your former life to make it more palatable for the people around you."

He added his experience had changed that view, saying he now wanted "to celebrate the whole self".

The singer said identity growing up was difficult and often suppressed, describing it as "incredibly painful" when it was not understood.

He said he struggled with isolation as a child and teenager, adding that puberty was "the worst time of my life".

He described feeling alone and questioning his place in the world, which he said later informed his work as a mental health advocate.

Holloway first rose to prominence, before he transitioned, as Lots Holloway - part of band MK1 on The X Factor in 2012, reaching the live finals.

He told BBC Radio Kent the experience was "crazy", but added: "The nation knew me as this girl in this urban band when a lot of that wasn't how I felt inside."

He stepped away from that version of his career before later transitioning in 2020 and beginning hormone treatment in 2021.

As a musician, he said the physical changes, which included surgery, were both exciting and risky, explaining: "My voice was a fundamental part of my career so it was a really big risk."

He said the process was ultimately positive, adding he felt "so excited to run to the mirror and see what was happening".

In recent years he became the first transgender winner of a BBC music show, Project Icon, and has since performed with artists including Lewis Capaldi and The 1975.

Alongside music, he now works as a mental health ambassador and speaker, encouraging people to embrace change and authenticity.

His duet videos, he says, aim to reassure others that "you don't have to reject who you were to become who you are".

Holloway added: "I want to express to people that you are allowed to evolve and change and embrace the whole story, their whole selves."