Tones and I pockets a whopping $12 million from Dance Monkey Spotify streams

Aussie singer Tones and I has walked away with a staggering $12 million after scoring the second top-streamed song globally on Spotify this year.

Tones and I has come a very long way since her busking days.

The ARIA-winning artist, real name Toni Watson, has officially scored one of Spotify’s top played songs of 2020, landing her an enormous $12 million pay cheque just in time for Christmas.

The singer’s earworm of a breakout single Dance Monkey was the number two top streamed song globally, second to the Weeknd’s Blinding Lights.

RELATED: Tones and I reveals ‘overwhelming sadness’ after sweeping 2019 ARIAs

Tones and I’s hit Dance Monkey was the second most streamed song of 2020. Picture: Supplied.

Additionally, the amount of time Spotify users have listened to Dance Monkey amounts to a whopping 13,012 years. She also holds the title of most streamed female artist on the platform.

It is estimated the almost 2 billion streams this year have earned the 26-year-old Aussie musician around $12 million in royalties.

Taking to Instagram to celebrate the massive accolade, she posted a screenshot of the Spotify charts with the caption: “So you’re telling me that a chick busking and living in her van wrote the second biggest song on Spotify, despite the teams of song writers around the world writing songs on the daily and selling them as guaranteed hits to pop stars. Well. Ozzie Ozzie.....Ozzie.”

RELATED: How Tones and I was ‘bullied’ by buskers

The singer was nominated for three ARIA Awards this year, having cleaned up last year with four wins.

It hasn’t been an easy ride for Tones in the spotlight. In April, she opened up about feeling an “overwhelming sadness”, confessing she hadn’t felt one day of happiness since the 2019 ARIAs.

RELATED: Singer worries fans with dark post

Tones and I scored four ARIA wins last year. Picture: AAP

Opening up to The Hit Network’s Carrie & Tommy, she said she fell into a dark place as she struck fame.

“There was a point when we were coming up to the ARIAs last year, I’d had huge success, and the next day I woke up and had this overwhelming sadness and not wanting to celebrate it,” she said.

“Not wanting to celebrate with my fans or on social media … As I thought it was a black hole of people that just wanted to bring you down.

“It took me a little bit after that to realise there’s so much good there, and to focus on the live performances.

“I was like, ‘Why am I not happy, this is meant to be exciting.’

“I had to switch my mind over and focus on those good things, because there are so many good things.”

Tones and I has spoken candidly about her struggle with fame. Picture: Hyvio

In May, she told News Corp of her insecurities during the beginning of her career: “I came to a point where I felt I wasn’t good enough, I’m not good enough to play a festival, I’m a busker.

“Then I started to realise I am good enough because who the f**k would deal with that? So at the end of last year I decided I wasn’t going to let anything bother me,” she added.

Originally published as Tones and I pockets a whopping $12 million from Dance Monkey Spotify streams