Australian singer-songwriter Tones and I has opened up on her rough beginnings in the music industry at the same time as announcing a new album.
Real name Toni Watson, Tones rose to fame with her breakout 2019 single Dance Monkey, which reached No.1 in 30 different countries.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Tones and I reveals she used to wear prosthetics.
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But in a new post, Tones shared with fans that she had encountered a lot of setbacks in her career to date.
She revealed that music industry executives and members of the wider public had told her she’d never make it because she wasn’t pretty enough.
“POV: You used to wear prosthetics to hide your face when the world told you that you weren’t pretty enough for the industry,” she captioned a video showing her filming a new music clip.
“Now realising that doesn’t help anyone.
“Not you or the queens that need you.”
In a separate, longer caption, the singer went into detail on how she had to fight “tooth and nail” to gain any attention in the industry.
“I never really open up or go into detail on how this industry (including the public) beat me down, so far down, whilst I continued to grind my way tooth and nail into a position that statistically I deserved but from face value was always under attack,” she wrote.
“I kept my cool amid the hate, threats, body-shaming and continued to keep my head down and find my happiness in human interactions.
“I sing about dreaming, but never added any insight into how to achieve yours.
“That’s my fault and truthfully it was purely based on my lack of confidence in the weight my words would carry.
“I was a ‘song’ not a person for a long time, and to a lot of people I still am.
“I’m OK with that, but for the people who care, I have more to give, I always have, you just didn’t care to see it.
“So my name is Tones, my album is called Beautifully Ordinary, it’s out August 2nd!
“It’s nice to meet you … again.”
Fans flocked to the comments section of the post to show their support.
“You are, and always were, a queen,” wrote radio host Brittany Hockley, while Australian Idol star Ricki-Lee Coulter dropped a series of red love heart emojis.
“You’re gorgeous and more people should give you and your music a chance 💕,” one fan wrote.
“Sorry to hear, I thought the world loved you!” wrote another.
“We always loved you, a breath of fresh air and a powerful new artist.”
“Love this. You’re on fire, Tones,” a third fan said.
“Don’t let the haters hate. You’re so talented.”
New look
Earlier this year, Tones stunned her fans by debuting a new look at the Rolling Stone Awards in Sydney.
The singer showed off her slimmed down figure in a black corset and sheer floor-length skirt — a far cry from her former style of baggy tracksuits, sportswear and baseball caps.
Earlier in the year, Tones opened for Pink as part of her Summer Carnival tour across Australia.
As the tour came to an end, Tones and I shared a tribute to Pink on her Instagram.
“What an honour it has been to perform around my home country with the best woman to ever do it!” she said.
“This woman is in every way, the best example of working tirelessly on your goals, staying at the peak of your fitness, smashing records 20 years into your career and caring for others while raising a family and making it all look so effortless.
“Well let me tell you it’s not!
“Alecia —Thank YOU so much. And to everyone that came to these shows and let me show you who I am, Thank YOU! I love you!”