With ‘Trans Duets,’ Singer Makes Music, And Peace, With His Former Self

InnovationScienceWith ‘Trans Duets,’ Singer Makes Music, And Peace, With His Former SelfByLeslie Katz,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Leslie Katz covers the intersection of culture, science and tech.Follow AuthorMay 28, 2026, 08:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Singer-songwriter Dylan Holloway performs duets with his pre-transition self as a way to honor every part of who he is and has been.Megan ImpeyIn videos he posts across social media, British singer-songwriter Dylan Holloway performs duets with a younger musician, their voices intertwining seamlessly. Holloway knows his creative partner intimately. She is him, before he transitioned. For these “trans duets,” as Holloway calls them, the 33-year-old indie-folk artist uses old recordings and videos to juxtapose his former self, playing guitar or piano and singing in a female voice, with footage of himself performing today, his vocals deepened by testosterone. Together, the two voices deliver both heartfelt original songs and covers, like Joni Mitchell’s wistful ballad “River” and “Yellow” from Coldplay. “Your skin and bones turn into something beautiful,” it goes. “I sing duets with my old self because every version of me matters,” Holloway says. “I want people to know it’s OK to embrace who you’ve been. That person brought you here.” Some who are transgender choose to leave their former selves behind once they transition to maintain distance from a time when they felt unseen, unsafe or disconnected from their true identity. Holloway, who performs under the name Dylan and the Moon, had the same inclination when he first came out to his family as transgender at 26. “I thought I wanted to move forward and just be Dylan and move away from the past,” Holloway said over Zoom from his home in London. “No one will know I’m trans, and I’ll try and keep it a secret.” His mo...