Danni Hoshino is ready for the spotlight. It’s a big change for the veteran folk-rock guitarist, who once penned a song titled “Bird in the Dark.”

But it’s not the biggest change in her life.

Since coming out as a transgender woman in 2022, Hoshino has undergone a transformation. She’s moved from her native Boston to New York, started work on a new album and taken on a new stage name: Light Bird.

On March 31, Transgender Day of Visibility, Light Bird released her newest single, “Alright,” a deeply personal ballad of love, loss and hope.

“A lot of trans girls I know feel like butterflies because we’ve come out as this new beautiful thing,” she told me in an interview for my podcast. “But in the same way, you have to kind of break down first before you can like emerge as this new beautiful thing.”

Into the Light

Trans visibility is an important cause for Light Bird, who had few positive role models growing up in the 1990s. It’s arguably even more important today, with lawmakers enacting dozens of anti-trans laws across the U.S. and anti-trans violence increasing around the world.

Light Bird crafted her new album —due out in June 2026 — during her transition. She hopes the songs speak to a wide audience, not just queer fans.

“I like the idea of cis straight people listening to my songs about my transition journey,” she said. “They’re all human stories … something they can see their own humanity reflected in.”

Visit Light Bird’s website to learn more.

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