Tones and I By Akin G Biography • Tones and I was born Toni Elizabeth Watson in Mount Martha, Melbourne, Victoria. • It’s argued that she’s 19yo, born on the 15th August 2000. Others say she’s 26yo as she’s too mature to be 19, suggesting a birthdate of May 13th, 1993. She doesn’t mention her age in any interviews as ‘everything online is wrong’ Biography • Nickname: Tones. She wanted it as her stage name but because of legal issues, she chose ‘Tones and I’ as it’s inclusive and fluent. • Tones was known locally in Mornington, for singing around small bars and pubs. She sang along a guitarist until branching out on her own. Biography • As it was difficult to busk in Melbourne because of restrictions and accessibility, she looked for new places to perform. Byron Bay was suggested by a friend, with idea that she could ‘park her car anywhere and start busking’ • During 2018, she moved to start busking full time in Byron Bay. Beginning of Career • Toni released her debut song ‘The Kids are Coming Home’ in August 2019, peaking at no. 3 in Australia. • This was her first selling demo available. Soon after, she created an extended play (album) to her debut song. This featured Johnny Runaway, Dance Monkey and Never Seen the rain. • Through busking, Tones and I has come across many issues. As her performances were local, things such as theft, stalking and discouragement were common. Beginning of Career • She continues to say across all interviews that ‘busking was the best time in my life. I lived out of my van, on my own. If I needed food, I’d go busk for money and get what I needed. The lifestyle was so free’ (102 KIISFM, 2020) • Tones was the most awarded artist at the ARIA MUSIC AWARDS 2019, winning four from eight nominations Dance Monkey • Dance Monkey originated one night when Tones was performing. After going for 6 hours, she had a large, drunk crowd late at night and she was completely worn out. She’d continue to say it’d be her last song, yet the crowd would also say ‘One more!’ She’d refuse multiple times, but they’d boo her as soon as she’d say ‘No more • Using this emotion, she created Dance Monkey. ‘It’s pretty self explanatory, I had the idea to call it sing monkey, but I didn’t want it to be so personal, so I used dance instead.’ Dance Monkey • Key Quotes: ‘You know you stop me there while I was passing by; And when you’re done, I’ll make you do it all again’ • This song put her on the no.1 spot in 30 different countries, and 1st on the ARIA Singles chart for 16 consecutive weeks, setting a historic record since the charts were created in 1988. • Music Video Johnny Run Away • Johnny Run Away was one of Toni’s bigger hits before dance monkey. It was her lead single from The Kids are coming Home EP, peaking 12th on ARIA Singles Charts. • The song is based around her friend Kurt, that was gay and trying to come out to his disapproving farther at a young age. Johnny Run Away • Tones lived with Kurt, and he opened up to her one night explaining how it had almost broken him to come out to his dad. • Key Quotes: ‘He was at the park, he met a boy named Jimmy, he's a cutie, and he chose him oh’; ‘Johnny found a seat with a boy named Pete and felt it again As he was trying to play pretend the feeling came rushing in’ Johnny Run Away • Kurt describes how he’s had people come up to him, saying that this song has really helped them, and he then goes on to say he wish all those years ago, that he had something or someone to help him go through the suffering. • Music Video Never Seen the Rain • Never Seen the Rain was released as the third single of The Kids are Coming Home EP in 2019. • Tones and I describes the song as being about ‘the people who live a repetitive life in the fear of failure. So, they never try’ (ABC, 2019) Never Seen the Rain • Sort of a play on words, as in ‘You’ve never felt the rein/rain’. Saying that life’s reining hell on you. • Key Quotes: ‘ You’ve never felt the rain(rein) ’, ‘And it gets you down, but that’s okay’ Never Seen the Rain • Interviewing triple J, she says ‘It’s my favourite one so far. I have more flexibility in terms of the tones I can sing in. The song is about the people in our lives that are going through hard times, that go through their worst to come out stronger. It relates to the life I had before I was busking, and that was part of my inspiration for the song’ • Music Video References • (ACESHOWBIZ, 2021) available at < https://www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/tones_and_i/ > [9/2/20] • (Rolling Stone, 2020) available at < https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musicfeatures/tones-and-i-dance-monkey-interview-1005743/ > [10/2/20] • (102 KIISFM, 2020) available at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tbq1LIrjxk > [10/2/20] • (ABC, 2020) available at < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Seen_the_Rain#cite_noteFirstSpin-1 > [15/2/20]
