‘Be a Visionary. Be Brave:’ Tones and I Delivers Inspirational Keynote at BIGSOUND 2024
Tones and I takes no crap. And that’s by design.
In just five years, the Australian singer and songwriter has climbed the ladder like few others, landing one of the biggest global hits of the streaming era, filled arenas and stadiums, assembled a community of good people to lean on and learn from, and navigated human stains.
Always doing it her way.
On Tuesday, Sept. 3, Tones (real name Toni Watson) took the mic for a different type of performance when she delivered a keynote at BIGSOUND 2024, completing a journey with the annual conference and showcase extravaganza which folds neatly into her own musical expedition.
Tones is proud of her achievements, which she attributes to hard-work, smart-work and creativity, all of it done in full view of the world.
“I stand here today as an artist that cannot be managed, I am proudly the worst artist to manage,” she says. “I don’t take no for an answer. I’m tough as nails. I have 20 weird ideas a day. I do everything in my own way, which usually involves a lot more work for everyone but a better outcome.”
Graft without art means nothing. That first part, however, is essential.
“I truly believe that if you put in the work, you deserve everything you’ve gained,” she continues.
“I know the value that I have. I continue to learn how to market myself. My show and my music, which is a journey I’m enjoying. Even in the last six months, I’ve gained over 100,000 genuinely new followers from listening, watching and learning, figuring out how to relate my most authentic self. I don’t believe in trends ever helping you gain genuine followers. And that’s, and that’s what we all want, isn’t it,” she notes.
“People that genuinely are invested in us, people will relate to anything, any lyric, any hook if they feel like they relate to you.”
Creatives need support. And art “should keep you on your toes and make you work harder as a team. Don’t look at me and think that I had it easy,” she admits. “I planned this from the start and I work through every small step with attention.”
Before “Dance Monkey” swung to No. 1 in more than 30 countries, Tones played to the gathered industry at BIGSOUND 2018 as a busker, doing so on the fringes of Brisbane’s annual music pow-wow.
She didn’t waste the opportunity. “I researched all the people in the industry that I wanted to try and catch a moment with, even if it was just to make them aware of who I was.” Some of those people were her management team at Lemon Tree Music, and legendary concert promoter Michael Chugg.
When “Dance Monkey” took off, Tones graduated to a BIGSOUND speaking role, then, during the pandemic, delivered a “virtual” keynote.
“Truth be known,” she says of that 2020 experience, “I was stuck in depression from the shock of the change and I will not go into online hate, but we all see it.”
Her friend, collaborator and musical hero Macklemore helped guide her through the murky social world.
The only thing “I knew truly was about the fear of failing and the fear of failing.”
Following her keynote, Tones sat for a chat with Myf Warhurst, exploring that ride that has included two ARIA No. 1 albums, more than 10 billion combined streams, and “Dance Monkey” – the streaming juggernaut that cracked three billion streams on Spotify earlier in the year, making Tones the first solo female artist to reach that milestone.
In Australia, the single clocked 24 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, an all time record, while in the U.K., it logged 11 weeks at the summit, a record for a solo female artist.
“I don’t look at the numbers because they’re very reflective of one song,” she told Warhurst. “I’m not blinded by the fact that ‘Dance Monkey’ is responsible for a lot of those numbers.”
With the benefit of hindsight, she’s “very proud of that song and what that song did.” The Rolling Stone AU/NZ cover star is playing the long game, a slow one, and has her sights firmly set on being a career artist. “I’m not trying to get anywhere except where I’m going to be tomorrow.”
Tones also weighed in on the negatives of fame. “Strangers will take you at your most vulnerable,” she explains. At times, her walls have been closed on purpose “because I have to protect myself.” But she’s coming out of her shell.
Time, space.
“I am in a great place,” she enthuses. “In my space I’m a yapper. I’ll go all day.”
At the Judith Wright Centre in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, she was in her space.
After opening on Pink’s record-smashing Summer Carnival tour, which played to 20 stadiums in ANZ and shifted 970,000, Tones is now on her own headline tour, the grandest of her career.
Her advice to other artists? “Be a visionary. Find your own way of doing everything, be brave and have your feet firmly on the ground. Because if you do all of this right, people will try and knock you down. Keep your eyes on your own goal and don’t let anything stray you. Last but not least, good luck. Because you’re probably gonna need it.”