Tones And I Becomes First Australian Added to YouTube's Artist on the Rise Program

Tones And I continues to blaze a trail. 

The "Dance Monkey" singer becomes the first Australian added to YouTube's Artist on the Rise program, joining the likes of Maggie Rogers, DaBaby, Rosalia and Jessie Reyez. 

Tones (real name Toni Watson) is behind the biggest hit on the planet right now. "Dance Monkey" has led the charts in 19 territories, including a record-setting 17-week streak atop the Australian chart. The song is also on target for a whopping ninth week at No. 1 in the U.K. and it rises 23-19 on the Billboard Hot 100, a new peak.

 

It's been a dizzying start to Tones' career. Just two years ago, she was discovered busking in Byron Bay. Her YouTube channel boasted just 8,000 subscribers at the beginning of July this year, and it's since blown up to over 637,000. Streams of "Dance Monkey" -- Tones' second single -- have raced past a billion across all platforms, hitting the milestone faster than another other Australian.

“This song is WOW," comments Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube. "The video has taken the world by storm and I think we can all now see the way Tones and I shines. I tried to come up with own ‘Dance Monkey’ routine and let's just say no one is begging to see me dance just one more time, and I should probably stick with being a record executive. We are excited to have Tones and I as our first Australian Artist on the Rise and to be a part of what comes next."

YouTube launched its monthly Artists on the Rise program last year to "support and help more artists get discovered at every phase of their career."

The Tones story keeps rolling. On Wednesday night, the rising singer and songwriter will open the annual ARIA Awards in Sydney, where she's up for eight awards, including best video for "Dance Monkey." Her 2020 schedule is stacked with touring across Europe and North America.