Tones And I says global success means less freedom
Melbourne singer Tones And I has revealed she felt a greater sense of freedom when she was a busker living in a van before she became a global success story with seven billion streams.
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Melbourne singer Tones And I says global success has given her less freedom.
“I miss the freedom,” Tones — born Toni Watson — a former busker who lived in a van, said today.
“People think once you become successful in the music industry, you’re free to do whatever you want. It’s almost the opposite,” Watson told Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little on Fox FM.
“Everything I’m doing is for myself and my career and for my happiness … but feeling more free is living in your van, and driving wherever you want … making music … and making enough money just to get by — it felt really free.”
Watson became a global phenomenon after her debut single, Dance Monkey, shot to No. 1 in 30 countries.
Dance Monkey has been named the most streamed song ever by a solo female artist on Spotify, with 1.4 billion streams.
The song has also gleaned seven billions streams across all streaming platforms.
Last month, Watson bought a $5.1 million mansion in Mt Eliza, after snapping up an $800,000 property in Frankston.
But Watson cited dark times after the 2019 ARIA Awards where she won four awards.
“The next day when I woke up, and I had this overwhelming sadness, of not wanting to celebrate … as I thought it was a black hole of people that wanted to bring me down.”
She was in a “dark space” of, ‘Why am I not happy, this is meant to be exciting,” adding: “I had to switch my mind over and focus on good things”.
Watson said she will never stop busking because it’s the “purest form of acceptance” with “no expectations.”
She said: “If I put a wig on, wore a disguise … and started busking, you’re going to get people that don’t know anything about you, aren’t fans, and who will stop and listen to your music.”
Watson also revealed she went to a basketball school and took the sport “fairly seriously” and had ambitions to play in the US.
But she added: “In Australia, as a female, even to be on the Australian basketball team, you’d almost still need a side job.”