I was on X Factor as a woman - now I've transitioned into a man and use my old voice to record duets
- Dylan Holloway, 31, appeared on X Factor in 2012 singing in the double-act MK1
- READ MORE: Former X Factor star Dylan Holloway reveals Rylan's four-word response to him transitioning after singer shared his 'inspiring' story
A former X Factor contestant who starred on the reality show as a woman has now transitioned into a man - and uses his old voice to record duets.
Dylan Holloway, 31, from south-east London, knew he was trans from the age of three, often wishing he could dress 'like the other boys' and felt like a 'caricature' as a teenager when trying 'to be a girl'.
In 2012, then going by his 'old name' Lots Holloway, he rose to fame on The X Factor in the double-act MK1.
Despite impressing the judges with his vocals, the group finished in 11th place and the exposure made the singer feel 'forced' to continue to be the female 'character (he) created'.
The pair continued to make music for two more years but Dylan stepped away from the band in 2014 and went solo. In 2020, he came out as trans, began taking testosterone and underwent top surgery.
Following his inspiring journey, Dylan decided to create 'male and female' duets with his past and present selves under the name Dylan and the Moon.
And his idea has been a huge success with a TikTok of his duet going viral and even A-list musicians showing their support.
His idea came about because of the huge changes he experienced while taking testosterone.
Dylan Holloway, 31, rose to fame on X Factor singing as a woman in the group MK1 (pictured 2012) and despite transitioning in 2020 has continued to use his old voice in duets
Initially he couldn't sing in lower or higher ranges and had to stop performing but before long his voice had settled and he was able to return to doing what he loved.
About eighteen months after starting testosterone, he felt his new lower voice was better than ever.
But not wanting to lose a part of himself, he decided to use his old voice to 'celebrate (his) old self'.
One of his duets, Off My Brain, has gone viral on TikTok, with more than 700,000 views, and singer Natasha Bedingfield commented in support.
The Unwritten songstress wrote underneath Dylan's TikTok: 'This is the coolest idea ever! I don’t know if any ones ever done that yet: wow'.
Dylan revealed: 'I think my past self would be really proud of my duets, and I think they would be grateful that I didn't let go of my past.
'During my transition, I was going to take all of my music offline and remove everything and start a new life as Dylan.
'But my mum being an absolute legend said it's a beautiful part of your life, don't throw everything away, you might regret it.
Following his transition, Dylan decided to create 'male and female' duets with his past and present selves under the name Dylan and the Moon
After he began taking testosterone he couldn't sing in lower or higher ranges and had to stop performing but before long his voice settled and he was able to return to doing what he loved
'I listened to her and I realised that version of me got me through my darkest times, so to put them in a box and hide them in the shadows would have been an utterly cruel decision to make.
'I started to celebrate my old self and being really compassionate to that version of myself.'
Dylan 'knew (he) was trans' when he was about three years old, always wanting to wear 'stereotypically boy clothes' and play with Hot Wheels.
He explained: 'I used to say things to my parents like, "Why don't you dress me like the other boys?"'.
As a teenager he tried 'really hard to be a girl' and did 'difficult things' like wearing makeup and having his hair straightened by friends, but he soon realised he was 'playing a caricature'.
At 17, then known by his former name, Lots, he moved to London to pursue music and join a band.
In 2012, he auditioned for The X Factor with friend Simeon Dixon as the duo MK1.
They were mentored by Louis Walsh but were eliminated in week three, finishing in 11th place.
Eighteen months after starting testosterone, he felt his new lower voice was better than ever and decided to combine it with the original vocals in the track when he was still singing as Lots (pictured)
'Because I was on TV screens I felt like I'd been forced to then continue to be this character that I created,' Dylan added.
In 2014, after touring and 'shooting to fame', Dylan left the band to pursue a solo career.
During this time, he began to question how he wanted to live the rest of his life.
'For such a long time I thought as long as I can just dress boyish, or marry a girl, then I'll be happy enough,' he said.
'But I realised, why was I giving myself just enough?'
In 2020, lockdown forced him to reflect on this, and a few months later he came out as trans to family and friends, receiving 'unconditional love'.
He also came out publicly on social media, receiving a 'wonderful reception' from fans.
In November 2020, he had top surgery and began testosterone in June 2021 which causes a thickening of the vocal cords and a deeper voice.
Despite impressing the judges with his vocals, the group finished in 11th place and the exposure made the singer feel 'forced' to continue to be the female 'character (he) created'
Dylan 'knew (he) was trans' when he was about three years old, always wanting to wear 'stereotypically boy clothes' and play with Hot Wheels
During the making of his new duet - which has gone viral on TikTok with the likes of Natasha Bedingfield showing her support, Dylan found seeing his old self 'painful'
'It was a very, very hard decision, music was the one place I always felt safe, but I decided to live a happy life, I would just need to put music on hold for a second,' Dylan added.
He spoke to a filmmaker friend and decided to document the process of his voice changing, because when researching trans singers on testosterone, he struggled to find others openly sharing their experiences.
In the first months, changes in his voice were 'subtle', but about a year in, he stopped performing altogether, feeling his singing sounded 'horrendous' as he could not reach the lower or higher notes.
After about 18 months his voice settled and even 'sounded much better' – this inspired Dylan to create duets with his past self, under the name Dylan and the Moon.
'I'd find an old recording, put that in my ear, then I would sing either a harmony or a duet part over the top,' he explained.
'Then I would cut them together so it looks like a male and female duet, but both of the people were me.'
Initially, revisiting old footage was 'painful', but over time he became grateful for his 'old self'.
Dylan has also created duets of Make You Feel My Love by Adele, Don't Speak by No Doubt and and Yellow by Coldplay, the latter featuring his voice pre-transition, during early transition, and now.
Dylan has been inundated with support and said he hopes his future projects will challenge people's views' about trans people.
His favourite duets are of his own songs – the first was Off My Brain, and he reshot the video side by side, showing his past and current self.
He shared a video about the project on TikTok, under the handle @dylanandthemoon, which received more than 700,000 views.
He has since been 'inundated' with messages of support from trans people and their families.
On April 18, Dylan is releasing another duet, Between You and Me, a song he originally wrote in 2017 before transitioning.
He said: 'Revisiting that one was actually quite painful, I knew that I was hiding this secret about myself.
'The music video is very moving as it's my old self lying in bed singing to the camera, but now I'm lying on the other side of the bed talking back.
'It almost feels like it was always supposed to be a duet and it was written in the stars.'
Looking ahead, Dylan hopes his upcoming documentary, which does not have a release date yet, will 'challenge people's views' about trans people.
He also dreams of being on BBC's Later…with Jools Holland to perform one of his songs with the 'old version' of him being 'projected on to the stage' while he is singing.
