Tones And I

On the insanely catchy dance-pop bopper “Dance Monkey”, Toni Watson’s high-flying wails instantly grab you. The chart-dominating track from 2019 was inspired by the Australian singer/songwriter’s experience as a full-time busker. Just a year prior, Watson (born near Melbourne) quit her retail job, packed up her Casio keyboard and loop pedal, and headed to the surfer town of Byron Bay, where she found her voice playing the streets several hours a day. After catching the eye of a local music lawyer, Tones And I scored a deal with Sony-affiliated Bad Batch Records and released her 2019 debut single, “Johnny Run Away”, a groovy electro-pop gem dedicated to her best friend. It was a runaway success in Australia, and “Dance Monkey”, released two months later, pushed her into the international spotlight. Both songs appear on her debut EP, The Kids Are Coming, which shines with Tones And I’s potent mix of poignant tales and positive vibes. But she’s since admitted it’s not her most honest work: “I put fake names under all these songs,” she admitted to Apple Music. “I didn’t show people the real side of me.” So, she returned in 2020 with singles “Bad Child” and “Ur So F**kInG cOoL”, both of which let her distinctive voice power through throbbing beats, rumbling bass and all her deepest insecurities.