News October 5, 2019

Tones And I breaks ARIA record, tops U.K. chart with ‘Dance Monkey’

Senior Journalist, B2B

She’s done it. Tones And I has the all-time ARIA singles chart record all to herself, and she’s done it while crowning the U.K. chart for the first time.

The Melbourne-raised singer’s global hit ‘Dance Monkey’ bags a 10th week atop the ARIA Singles Chart, the longest-ever streak at No. 1 by an Australian artist.

Tones, or Toni Watson as she’s known by her nearest and dearest, snatches the historic mark from Justice Crew, whose 2014 song ‘Que Sera’ hunkered down for nine consecutive weeks.

Yeeeeeah buddy!!! Massive congrats to @tonesandimusic 🔥🖤

— JXTCE CRW (@JusticeCrew) September 30, 2019

Just Tones’ second release, ‘Dance Monkey’ has been an unstoppable beast since it dropped in May.

By August, it was generating 130 million stream a month. In September, it equalled, then passed, the 32-year-old mark for a female Australian artist, established by Kylie Minogue’s all-time ‘Locomotion’ (at 7 weeks). Its official music video has bolted past 46 million views on YouTube.

In the U.K., the track stages a remarkable climb, rising 7-1 on the Official Singles Chart in its ninth week on the survey. The last Aussie artist to feel the love of a U.K. No. 1 single was Iggy Azalea, whose collaboration with Ariana Grande on ‘Problem,’ topped out in July 2014, more than full years ago.

‘Dance Monkey’ is now No. 1 in 13 countries and has whizzed past a quarter-billion streams globally, with 175 million of those this month alone.

That’s not all.

Also this week, Tones equals the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart by a female solo act, currently held by Sandi Thom’s ‘I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)’ (2010) and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ (1992/93).

And its No. 1 on the Shazam Global Chart.

Not bad for an artist who was busking in Byron Bay a year ago.

This week's top 10 artists on the #ShazamGlobalChart!! 🎶🎵

1⃣@tonesandimusic
2⃣@LewisCapaldi
3⃣@ShawnMendes & @Camila_Cabello
4⃣@SAINtJHN
5⃣@PostMalone
6⃣@2k2y & @bbnomula
7⃣@meduzamusic
8⃣@DardanRegard
9⃣@maroon5
🔟@billieeilish pic.twitter.com/EwmYZXTzSj

— Shazam (@Shazam) October 3, 2019

It was always going to be a tall order to stop ‘Dance Monkey’ from claiming the mark.

Tones performed the song, and her latest number ‘The Kids Are Coming,’ during the pre-game entertainment slot at the AFL Grand Final on Sept. 29, a fixture that was watched by more than 100,000 at the MCG and many more from the comforts of home or their local.

Watch Tones And I’s ‘Dance Monkey’:

Tones And I said of the record-breaking feat:

“I am so thankful to Australia for all the support, this song was written for my friends at the Byron bay backpackers, little did I know the whole country would be dancing to it, wow!”

Denis Handlin AO, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Australia & New Zealand and President, Asia, Sony Music Entertainment, said:

“I am so very proud of Tones and her incredible honour and achievement of becoming the longest running Australian artist at Number 1 on the ARIA singles chart, holding the top spot for 10 consecutive weeks. This is a true testament to her unique creative brilliance as an artist, her hard work and dedication, as well as her unwavering appreciation of her fans. Tones is a very special artist who has captured the world’s attention, and we look forward to continue working with her and her amazing music. Tones is the real deal.”

Dan Rosen, ARIA Chief Executive, said:

“Congratulations to Tones And I for her record-breaking chart performance. It is an incredible feat for any artist, let alone one who was busking on the streets a year earlier, and has just released her debut EP. Her success here and abroad is rewriting the rules of what an Australian artist can achieve, and I look forward to seeing her break more records in the coming weeks and years.”

Tones, who is co-managed by Lemon Tree Music and Artists Only, now sets on sights on bigger quarry.

A huge congratulations to @tonesandimusic, who breaks the #ARIACharts record for most weeks at #1 on the Singles Chart by an Australian artist as Dance Monkey spends its tenth week in the top spot! pic.twitter.com/F3qJVwNb1C

— ARIA (@ARIA_Official) October 5, 2019

The record for most weeks at the summit is owned by Ed Sheeran, whose ‘Shape Of You’ ruled the ARIA Singles Chart for 15 weeks in 2015.

She’s currently working her Kids Are Coming EP on a national headline tour. Expect her hit to hang around for a while yet.

‘Dance Monkey’ is released through Bad Batch, Tones own label, and licensed to Elektra for the world ex-ANZ. Her recordings are indie in these parts, with distribution through Sony Music.

Watch Tones And I’s ‘Dance Monkey’ live at Splendour in the Grass