Dylan And The Moon: 'Meeting Lewis Capaldi and recording with Jason Derulo'

He made history as the first transgender person to win a singing competition in the UK with BBC Three's Project Icon, played at the main stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, performed at London Pride and released a song with Jason Derulo called Lemons.

But it didn't come easily. In fact, Dylan (stage name Dylan And The Moon) likens his career trajectory to "a toddler that has taken a crayon to the piece of paper and has just zigzagged all over it".

Still, music has always given him confidence and meaning "even in the darkest moments".

Reassurance from Lewis Capaldi

Playing at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend was "probably the highlight of my summer," Dylan explains as he remembers his main stage set in Dundee.

Dylan was on just before Wet Leg, a band he loves so much he raced into the crowd after his set to see them play.

"It was really fun," he says about seeing the band. A little while later, he ran into Lewis Capaldi and Niall Horan backstage: "I was just sort of roaming around, not intending to bump into anyone, I was on my way to the bathroom."

"They were genuinely the nicest guys. I sort of joked to Lewis that he wouldn't know who I was, because I was just the little guy on the bottom of the festival lineup," Dylan recalls.

But Lewis had some reassuring words for Dylan: "The best thing about being a little guy at the bottom is you work your way up."

Later that night, Lewis spoke about Dylan during his headline set. Lewis told the crowd of thousands: "Big shout-out to the guy I met backstage, Dylan And The Moon I believe his name is, what a man - look out for him."

'I'm always moved by the reaction'

Big Weekend wasn't the only surreal moment Dylan had this summer.

The singer, raised in Cornwall, recalls performing at smaller stages for Pride celebrations up and down the UK - and even took to the main stage in London this year.

"It was amazing. Pride is such a beautiful time of year and it's one of the most vibrant audiences you can play," Dylan says of the full-circle moment.

Three songs into his set, Dylan introduced his song Turn Around to the crowd. It's a deeply personal song that Dylan wrote before transitioning in 2019.

The track features his pre-transition vocals that he duets with when performing live.

"I always get a little bit anxious when I introduce that song and every time I'm always moved by the reaction of people," he says recalling the cheering crowd.

At the start of his transition journey, Dylan explains: "I thought what I wanted to do was just sort of remove myself from my past."

But his feelings later unfolded into an appreciation for his personal history. "I became more comfortable with myself and with the way people were interacting with me," he says. It was then he could look back and think: "You know what, it wasn't 100% comfortable, but my past self did some magical things to get me here."

Duetting with his pre-transition voice is something Dylan hopes to explore more in the future, with his upcoming track Off My Brain being re-recorded over the years with Dylan singing the soprano, alto, tenor and bass parts as he transitioned.

'We kept looking into thin air'

As part of his Project Icon win, Dylan has just released a song, called Lemons, with judge Jason Derulo.

Dylan says that while he and Jason's music styles might seem the "least compatible," their working dynamic was "magical". 

"It was strange how quickly we managed to hit upon this middle ground," Dylan adds.

The pair would often walk around the studio, thinking up lyrics, as if they were physically grabbing them from the surrounding air: "We kept looking into thin air thinking, 'where is it going to be?'"

During their writing session, Dylan explains: "Jason said something that I've thought about a lot since, he said: 'You aren't really the person writing the song, the song kind of already exists and you have to be the one to catch it while it's there.'"

This philosophy deeply shaped Dylan's approach to music and put into words something he's felt for years.

Looking to the future, Dylan wants to do more creative collaborations and is aiming to release a new track toward the end of this year.

As for 2024, Dylan's hopes are set high and he has a few festivals in mind: "I have never been to Glastonbury because I promised myself the first time I go will be when I play there."

You can watch all episodes of BBC Three's Project Icon on BBC iPlayer now.