Not since Sia has the world encountered a rising Aussie pop star with a distinctive voice.
Indie Pop Singer-Songwriter Toni Watson was born around 1993 (some outlets list her as being born in August 2000 which not only is not true, but outright impossible given the timeline of events) in Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. Although she grew up in a fairly affluent area, she took various jobs doing retail in her teens and early twenties to pay her way forward in the music industry. She started busking in Melbourne before moving to Byron Bay, NSW in 2017 to break into the local scene. It was there she met Jackson Walkden-Brown, who would become her manager, and Konstantin Kersting, who would become her Record Producer.
In early 2019, she was signed to Bad Batch Records and released her first single, "Johnny Run Away", via Triple J Unearthed. While it was well-received, going into the ARIA Top 20, nothing could compare to her next single ...
In May 2019, Tones released "Dance Monkey", a song detailing her dissatisfaction with rowdy crowds heckling her as she was busking in Byron that she wrote in a dark closet within half an hour. The song reached number one in 30 countries and since then has been almost inescapable. It ended up being the Grand Prize winner of the 2019 International Songwriting Competition and has also appeared on all manner of international media, including Batwoman, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the tinny speakers at your local shopping mall.
Discography:
- The Kids Are Coming (EP) (2019)
- Welcome to the Madhouse (2021)
Trope for me, trope for me, trope for me:
- A Cappella: “Can’t Be Happy All The Time” is entirely this.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Was subject to a lot of bullying by the general public due to her weight, body shape and tomboyish appearance.
- Alter-Ego Acting: Originally said “Bad Child” was this, before back-pedalling and saying she wrote the song about her own life (most likely to get the press off her back).
- Abusive Parents: Implied in "Bad Child".
- Bullied into Depression: Was subjected to this by rabid members of the general public after the omnipresent success of “Dance Monkey”.
- Careful with That Axe: In "Bad Child".
- Celebrity Is Overrated: More like "local fame is overrated" in "Dance Monkey".
- Closet Key: Jimmy is this for Johnny in the song "Johnny Run Away".
- Cool Old Guy: Tones plays one in the video for "Dance Monkey", dancing on a golf course with his friends.
- Dark and Troubled Past: For Johnny in “Johnny Run Away” as well as Tones herself in “Bad Child”.
- Gayngst: Johnny in "Johnny Run Away".
- Gospel Choirs Are Just Better: In "Never Seen the Rain" and "Fly Away".
- Hates Small Talk: "Ur So Fucking Cool".
- Love Nostalgia Song: "Colourblind".
- Lyrical Cold Open: "Can't Be Happy All the Time", "Bad Child".
- Lyrical Dissonance: "Dance Monkey" is a Sanity Slippage Song set to upbeat, poppy music while "Johnny Run Away" is a story about a boy receiving negative messages about his burgeoning sexuality set to upbeat, poppy music.
- Melismatic Vocals: A more subdued example, but still an example. It's definitely more prominent in her ad-libs.
- Older Than They Look: Is, at most, in her late twenties, despite the general public belief that she’s barely out of her teens.
- One-Man Song: "Johnny Run Away", "Jimmy".
- Parental Neglect: "Bad Child".
- Pep-Talk Song: "Never Seen the Rain".
- Perishing Alt-Rock Voice
- Sequel Song: "Jimmy" is this to "Johnny Run Away".
- Signature Style: Similar to Billie Eilish, she has an affinity for baggy, neon clothes paired with a woolly hat and Cool Shades.
- Subdued Section: "The Kids Are Coming" has a pretty large one, and so does "Colourblind".
- Title Track: The Kids Are Coming has one.
- Vague Age: Doesn't like to give out her actual age for whatever reason, most likely due to privacy reasons or to create a sense of mystery. She played with this trope when she did a Cover Version of Alphaville's "Forever Young", probably alluding to the fact that most of the general public think she's barely twenty years old.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: “Ur So Fucking Cool”.
