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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The videos have attracted widespread attention on social media, where audiences have praised their emotional resonance and message about self-acceptance.<\/p>\n
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."\u00ab<\/p>\n
Holloway said his mum's advice allowed him to revisit his past with a different perspective, adding he could now look back \u00abwith such love and compassion and gratitude for bringing me to be the person I am now.\u00bb.<\/p>\n
He says within the transgender community there can be pressure to reject earlier identities, explaining: \u00abYou have to prove you hated your former life to make it more palatable for the people around you.\u00bb<\/p>\n
He added his experience had changed that view, saying he now wanted \u00abto celebrate the whole self.\u00bb.<\/p>\n
The singer said identity growing up was difficult and often suppressed, describing it as \u00abincredibly painful\u00bb when it was not understood.<\/p>\n
He said he struggled with isolation as a child and teenager, adding that puberty was \u00abthe worst time of my life.\u00bb.<\/p>\n
He described feeling alone and questioning his place in the world, which he said later informed his work as a mental health advocate.<\/p>\n
Holloway first rose to prominence, before he transitioned, as Lots Holloway \u2014 part of band MK1 on The X Factor in 2012, reaching the live finals.<\/p>\n
He told BBC Radio Kent the experience was \u00abcrazy\u00bb, but added: \u00abThe nation knew me as this girl in this urban band when a lot of that wasn\u2019t how I felt inside.\u00bb<\/p>\n
He stepped away from that version of his career before later transitioning in 2020 and beginning hormone treatment in 2021.<\/p>\n
As a musician, he said the physical changes, which included surgery, were both exciting and risky, explaining: \u00abMy voice was a fundamental part of my career so it was a really big risk.\u00bb<\/p>\n
He said the process was ultimately positive, adding he felt \u00abso excited to run to the mirror and see what was happening.\u00bb.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Alongside music, he now works as a mental health ambassador and speaker, encouraging people to embrace change and authenticity.<\/p>\n
His duet videos, he says, aim to reassure others that \u00abyou don't have to reject who you were to become who you are.\u00bb.<\/p>\n
Holloway added: "I want to express to people that you are allowed to evolve and change and embrace the whole story, their whole selves."\u00ab<\/p>\n
Follow BBC Kent on <\/em>Facebook<\/em>, on <\/em>X<\/em>, and on <\/em>Instagram<\/em>. Send your story ideas to <\/em>southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk<\/em> or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2026.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-muzyka"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6807\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}