Former X Factor star performs moving collaborations with his pre-transition self after coming out
The X Factor star Dylan Holloway now performs as Dylan and the Moon since coming out as trans. (Supplied/Instagram/@dylanandthemoon)
Former star of the UK version of The X Factor, and indie pop singer, Dylan Holloway has shared a series of videos in which he collaborates with his pre-transition self.
Holloway, who now performs under the moniker Dylan and the Moon, first came to national attention in 2012 after making it to the live finals on series nine of the ITV talent show.
He entered the competition as part of duo MK1, alongside fellow musician Simeon Dixon, but after being mentored by judge Louis Walsh, the pair were eliminated in week three of the finals.
MK1 continued to make music for a few years but then the duo parted ways, and Holloway released his first Dylan and the Moon single in 2022.
Also in 2022, he revealed he’d been taking testosterone for one year, and is now living life as a trans man.
Although Holloway has released a few singles in the two years since first sharing his gender journey on social media, including “Lemons” with Jason Derulo, which has more than a million streams on Spotify, it’s his videos harmonising with his pre-transition self that have made his followers cry.
A clip shared on his Instagram account in April showed him singing Coldplay’s moving hit “Yellow” as himself now, with harmonies from him in 2022, and his pre-transition self in 2018.
“2018, 2022 and 2024, singing in three-part harmony in different stages of my transition, the beautiful Coldplay ‘Yellow’,” he wrote. “Wait for that bass drop at the very end though… if little Dylan could see me now.”
Another clip, uploaded in June, shows him now singing a Tame Impala song with his pre-transition self in 2019.
“Found an old clip of me singing in 2019, so thought a little harmony would sit under very nicely… still so special to be able to do this,” he wrote, adding: “Whoever you are, be you. You’re wonderful.”
In the comment section, fans have gushed not only over Holloway’s gorgeous voice, but also how he’s lifting up the trans community.
“As a closeted trans boy who loves music and singing, this makes me feel so hopeful. Thank you, Dylan,” one person wrote.
Another said: “The bass in your voice now… like chocolate, my guy.”
A third commented: “This is one of the most amazing and brilliant creations of music ever. Hold the power, king.”
In a video posted on his Instagram page in March, the musician explained his decision to share collaboration videos with his former self.
“Since transitioning, I’ve been using my old vocal recordings and old videos of myself to harmonise and duet with my former self,” he wrote. “I want people to know that it’s OK to embrace who you’ve been, because they’d want you to be who you are now.”
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
How did this story make you feel?
