Tones and I thrills fans as she busks in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD and performs her hit song Dance Monkey… after admitting she missed her pre-fame life as a street performer
Six months on from admitting she missed her pre-fame life of busking, Australian singer Tones and I is back to publicly performing in Melbourne.
Taking to her Instagram on Monday morning, the 26-year-old musician announced she would perform some of her biggest hits at 11.30am on Bourke St in the city’s CBD.
‘I’m busking on Bourke Street 11:30 this morning,’ the songwriter, whose real name is Toni Watson, captioned her post, where she could be seen wearing a red cap and matching shirt.
She’s back! Six months on from admitting she missed her pre-fame lifeof busking, Australian singer Tones and I (pictured), 26, has been spotted publicly performing in Melbourne. She casually took to Instagram on Monday to announce her appearance at 11.30am on Bourke St
It was later revealed she performed one of her biggest hits Dance Monkey barefoot while standing near H&M, Myer and the city’s iconic tram line.
The song has been one of the one of the most successful in Australian pop music history and the ARIA Singles Chart’s longest-running #1 since the chart was created in 1988.
Dance Monkey was also the second most streamed song in the world in 2020, with almost two billion streams on Spotify and seven billion streams across all platforms.
The singer’s surprise performance was the result of a partnership between the Victorian Government, Mushroom Group and the City of Melbourne.
It was to help support shops, restaurants, cafes and bars recovering from the impact of COVID-19.
‘I’m busking on Bourke Street 11:30 this morning,’ the songwriter, whose real name is Toni Watson, captioned her post to her Instagram stories, where she could be seen wearing a red cap and matching shirt
Fans flocked to see Tones in person, with many spotted filming her and uploading the surprise gig online.
‘So this just happened… Tones And I performing a surprise busking set outside Bourke Street Mall!’ one tweeted on Twitter, before another added: ‘Accidentally stumbled onto Tones and I busking in Bourke St mall and, look, I’ve missed live music, but not like this.’
The singer’s surprise performance was the result of a partnership between the Victorian Government, Mushroom Group and the City of Melbourne
Tones and I netted $12million from online streams of her hit song in 2020 – and she treated her friends to a day out on a yacht on Sunday.
The singer and her friends were clearly upbeat for the occasion and were seen dancing to a number of ’90s hits.
They were mostly dressed in all-white for the shindig and posed for an Instagram photo on the front deck of the vessel.
Fun in the sun: Her street performance follows netting $12million from online streams of her hit song, Dance Monkey, in 2020 – and being spotted treating her friends to a day out on a yacht on Sunday (pictured)
‘Friendmas,’ she captioned the photograph, alongside a yellow love heart emoji.
Similar-sized yachts in Melbourne can be leased out for upwards of $1600 per hour.
Earlier this year, Tones reminisced about her pre-fame life by sharing a throwback video to Instagram of herself busking in idyllic Byron Bay.
Nice ride: Similar-sized yachts around Melbourne can be leased out for upwards of $1600 per hour
‘I miss busking and I miss Byron Bay,’ she captioned the short clip, in which she showcased her impressive vocals.
Tones began busking in Byron Bay in September 2017. It was during her days as a street performer that she met talent manager Jackson Walkden-Brown.
She eventually hit the big time with her second single, Dance Monkey, which was released in May 2019 and topped the charts in 30 countries.
The beginning: Tones began busking in Byron Bay in September 2017. It was during her days as a street performer that she met talent manager Jackson Walkden-Brown