In 2019, she broke the Australian record for the most weeks at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart by any artist with 16 weeks. By mid-January 2020, "Dance Monkey" had spent its 24th and final week at number one, beating Bing Crosby's all-time Australian record for his version of "White Christmas", which spent 22 weeks at the top in 1943.
"Dance Monkey" was accredited 16× platinum by ARIA for shipments of over 1,120,000 units, by mid-2021. Tones was the most awarded artist at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, winning four of eight nominations. Tones and I released her debut extended play, The Kids Are Coming, on 30 August 2019, which peaked at number three in Australia, and top 10 in several countries. Her debut album, Welcome to the Madhouse, was released via Bad Batch on 16 July 2021. It debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album's lead single "Fly Away" peaked at number four in Australia and number 11 in the UK.
Toni Watson grew up in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula to the south of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria. Conflicting reports state she was born either in 1993 or in 2000. The artist prefers not to disclose her birth details, "I never denied my age. I never lied about it. I just don't say anything now... Everything is wrong online."
She explained choosing a music career: "One day I was at the park with my family, all my cousins and stuff, in Frankston... We were all just singing a song and my aunty was like 'oh guys, she can actually hold a note.' I think that's the earliest memory of someone actually pointing me out as someone that has an ability to sing. I was probably like 7 years old." The singer-songwriter had learned to play keyboards and drum pads while at secondary school.She started busking in Melbourne, while working in fashion retail at the Universal Store.
In 2009, as Toni Watson, she created a YouTube page and posted a cappella cover versions of songs. She performed local gigs and festivals, including the Let Go festival. Tones was the vocalist for a duo in 2014, and remembered: "I started out singing in small pubs and bars in Mornington, I was singing along to a guitarist until I ended up branching out on my own." She explained her shift to a solo career: "I actually got made redundant from my retail job and with that money I bought an RC300 (loop station) and just started to try to figure it all out." She busked "up and down the east coast with her synthesizers and loop pedal, she has been building a loyal fanbase and captivating crowds with her genre-diverse style."
In September 2017, the singer-songwriter travelled to Byron Bay in the Australian state of New South Wales to try busking there. At an early performance, she met Jackson Walkden-Brown who became her manager about a month later. Her busking success led to a greater commitment to a music career. The artist spent 2018 living between Walkden-Brown's home in the Gold Coast hinterland and in her van in Byron Bay, writing music and busking full-time. Later that year she won the Battle of the Buskers at Buskers by the Creek.
I Am Free
Tones And I Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
I wasn't born to be an angel
I cut my feet along the road
But it reminds me of the days where I was happy
Playing games with neighbor's kids I hardly know
And they say I was born to be a suspect
I carry all the fault
But I had to leave, you know I had to go
And I knew in time I'd find the end to all the answers
And I knew in time I'd find I'd carried all the pain
But I knew in time I'd find a way to just forgive myself
To forgive myself for leaving you that way
But now I'm free, my darlin'
But now I'm free, my darlin', my darlin'
But now I'm free, my darlin'
Now I'm free (I'm free, my darlin', I'm free, my darlin'), my darlin', my darlin'
And I'm ashamed of all the things you've ever said I've done
Oh, I promise you that I'm ashamed about it
But you never took the blame
No, no, no, not even once
While I carry mine alone and drink about it
And I was reaching for your hand
I would look you in the eye
I was lyin' on the floor, I was fightin' for my life
But you never took the blame
While I still carry mine, I
But now I'm free, my darlin'
Now I'm free, my darlin', my darlin'
And since I went away, yeah, I know you think about us
But you haven't got the head and heart to show it
Oh, but it wasn't only you, yeah, I was angry too
So I'll take my bow and I'll accept my moment
And I knew in time I'd find the end to all the answers
And I knew in time I'd find I'd carried all the pain
But I knew in time I'd find a way to just forgive myself
To forgive myself for leaving you that way
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free, my darlin' (darlin', darlin', darlin')
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free, my darlin'
I'm free
Let me be free
In Tones And I's song "I Am Free," the lyrics delve into themes of personal growth, self-redemption, and the process of letting go. The song begins with the acknowledgment that the singer wasn't meant to be perfect or virtuous ("I wasn't born to be an angel"). They admit to making mistakes along their journey and feeling the burden of it ("I carry all the fault").
Despite the past, the singer reflects on their search for answers and finding closure ("And I knew in time I'd find the end to all the answers"). They also express the need to forgive themselves for the choices they made and the pain they caused to others, particularly someone they left in a hurtful manner ("To forgive myself for leaving you that way").
The lyrics also touch on the singer feeling remorse and shame for their actions, while the other person involved appears to have remained blameless in their own eyes ("But you never took the blame"). The singer reveals that they fought for their own life while struggling with their mistakes but ultimately took responsibility alone ("While I still carry mine, I").
As the song progresses, it suggests that both parties involved in the situation have experienced thoughts of the past and reflections on their relationship. The singer acknowledges this but acknowledges that they both had their own anger as well ("But it wasn't only you, yeah, I was angry too"). In the end, the singer accepts their journey, takes responsibility for their actions, and embraces their newfound freedom.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Toni Watson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@eperdu6480
Il y a des chansons qui transcendent la lourde pesanteur ambiante...
@unelarmedamourmitiee1159
Oui.
@JapCarRealGood
These Tones and You are an Old Soul and will stand the test of time.
@laurastephens1167
Her voice has to be one of the most original unique and astounding vocal range as well as her gift to write such powerful songs at such a young age.. Tones you are going to have a long career "my darling". I'm 56 and your songs resonate with all of us..keep creating.. we love you ❤❤❤
@jamiejones9335
She just reminds me of Sia so much i wish they would do a song together greeting to Australia
@TubeDude
Ditto at 62
@CindymeCindy
Ditto at 60!
@natka2159
This song just hit me the other day when I was in a store. It's what it felt like for me to carry around all the shame and guilt coming out of a relationship with a pathological narcissist. It empowers me every time I hear it and I wish everyone out there who carries this guilt and shame to free themselves of it and be happy again. You deserve it!
@iwybutterfly
T😮😅a
@FREEDOM_2022oN
I love tones. This song made me sad though? I’m happy she’s free. Amen