Busking to the top: Tones and I and Luke Steele reflect on their careers so far

Aussie stars Tones and I, and Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele say their paths to fame were anything but easy

They may now be celebrated as two of Australia’s biggest stars, but Toni Watson, better known as Tones and I, and Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele’s path to fame were far from easy.

Striking in colour as the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine’s upcoming Musicians on Musicians special, the pair reflect on their struggles before hitting the big time, sharing stories from their busking days.

While Steele spoke on how fortune favours the brave, especially when it comes to the courage needed for busking, Tones recalled a particularly tough moment that would later inspire her global hit “Dance Monkey.”

Rolling Stone Magazine Musicians on Musicians with Tones and I and Empire of the Sun. Picture: Rolling Stone

“There was one night where I had someone push my keyboard off the stand and a guy stole my money,” Tones told Rolling Stone Magazine.

“And the crowd, they just kept yelling “one more song,” which you would think would be a compliment, but (the show) had been going for an hour and 50 minutes.

Rolling Stone Magazine’s musicians on musicians special edition cove featuring Luke Steele and Tones and I.

“So then I went home, and I wrote a song. And that song just had the most common things that were told to me on the street … the chorus was, “sing for me, sing for me, sing for me.” I just changed it to “dance” to make it more universal, and that became “Dance Monkey”, which just describes one of my tougher nights of busking.”

Rolling Stone Magazine Musicians on Musicians with Tones and I and Empire of the Sun. Picture: Rolling Stone

“It’s courageous,” Steele added.

They say fortune favours the brave. You’ve got a lot of courage doing that. And as a woman, as well. Because I used to busk in Perth, and people would come and throw cigarette butts in (my guitar case).”

With no road to fame alike, Tones success came rapid after her hit Dance Monkey, which has over three billion streams on Spotify went viral, while Steele’s was gradual, with his band The Sleepy Jackson having an audience in the 90s, but it was his electro-pop duo with Nick Littlemore that took his music to the masses.

Rolling Stone Magazine Musicians on Musicians with Tones and I and Empire of the Sun. Picture: Rolling Stone

Other big names also featured in the magazine’s special hitting shelves on December 12 include Kasey Chambers, Thelma Plum, Ashton Irwin from 5 Seconds of Summer, Stan Walker, BENEE and Kobie Dee.