Transgender musician Dylan Holloway has released videos that pair his current vocals with recordings made before his transition [1, 2].
The project allows Holloway to engage in a sonic conversation with his former identity. By blending these two distinct eras of his life, he aims to make peace with his past and illustrate the evolution of his voice and self [1, 2].
Holloway is a former X Factor finalist who has used the "trans duets" to bridge the gap between who he was and who he is now [1, 2]. The recordings serve as a bridge across time, allowing the artist to harmonize with a version of himself that no longer exists in the present.
"I've released a duet with someone important - my pre‑transition self," Holloway said in a June 2024 interview with Metro [3].
The process of revisiting these old recordings was described as a way to acknowledge every stage of his journey. Rather than erasing the person he was before his transition, Holloway chose to integrate that history into his current artistic expression [1, 2].
"Every version of me matters," Holloway said in a May 2026 report by Forbes [2].
The videos highlight the physical and emotional changes that accompany transition, using music as the medium to explore identity and acceptance [1, 2]. By presenting these versions of himself as equals in a duet, he transforms a personal history into a public piece of art.
“"Every version of me matters."”
Holloway's approach reflects a broader trend in the arts where transgender creators use archival media to document the transition process. By treating the pre-transition self as a separate collaborator rather than a discarded identity, the work challenges traditional narratives of erasure and emphasizes the continuity of the individual's lived experience.
