TONES AND I

BY: Alexis Eichelberger

Toni Watson, better known as Tones and I, has been Australia’s hottest artist since her second single “Dance Money,” dominated the charts in 2019. She’s already enjoying the highest levels of fame and success in her home country and around the world, and she’s yet to release a full-length album. Thankfully, it seems like one is on the way.

Watson was born in southern Australia and displayed a talent for music beginning at a young age. She started singing at age seven and learned to play the keyboard and drums soon after. She kicked off her music career the old-fashioned way — singing covers on YouTube and performing on street corners (busking).

Street performing turned out to be the key to Watson’s takeoff as a professional artist. During one particular street session, a talent manager saw promise and helped her take her career to the next level.

In February 2019, Watson signed to the Australian division of Sony Music. Her first single “Johnny Run Away” became a viral success, making its way to the top of the Australian alternative charts and quickly turning into a radio favorite.

 

Soon after, in May, Watson dropped her biggest hit to date. “Dance Monkey” reached number 1 in more than thirty countries and broke the record for the most weeks atop the ARIA Singles Chart. In the U.S., it climbed to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her first EP’s release followed up Watson’s wild success on the charts, a six-track collection called The Kids Are Coming, which dropped in August 2019. With that release, her gritty voice and unique blend of electropop further enamored the world with songs like “Bad Child” and “Ur So F**kInG cOoL.” 

Watson’s first album was due out in August but delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, in a recent virtual press conference, Watson confirmed that her full-length studio debut was on the way. She told reporters she had expanded the tracklist to add five new songs she wrote during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“I’ve taken the time to just really make sure it’s what I want,” she said. “And I want to add more music to the album. It will be my first ever album, so I really want to make sure I’m proud of it.”

According to Watson, we can expect new music in the next two to three months. We’ll be excitedly waiting until the day comes.