Tones and I has delivered a final musical jab at the NRL by performing her hit Dance Monkey at the Deni Ute Muster on the same weekend as rugby league’s grand final.
The Australian singer became part of the build-up to the decider after NRL chief Peter V’landys said negotiations for her to headline the pre-game entertainment had collapsed over her apparent reluctance to perform the song.
Her management said she had prior commitments and had only been approached at the start of September. Tones and I later teased Western Australian tour dates with the message: “PSA: Will be singing all songs.”
The NRL responded during the grand final by playing Dance Monkey over the stadium speakers after the opening try.
But the singer appeared to have the final word when she performed the song herself at the event in regional New South Wales. Sharing footage afterwards, she wrote: “Dance monkey 🤝🏼 @deniutemuster”.
She added: “What a weekend 🤠.”
“MWA 💋.”
Why Tones and I has resisted Dance Monkey
Tones and I has previously explained why she no longer enjoys performing the track, which became her breakout hit.
In a 2022 interview with radio host Kent “Smallzy” Small, she said the song had led potential collaborators to place her in a narrow musical category.
“And, usually, it was directed at Dance Monkey like, ‘OK, this girl had a hit with this kind of song, like, let’s go there’,” she said.
Although she described the song as “great”, she said she did not “want to go there anymore”.
“I wrote that song on my own, not trying to do a single thing, and it happened,” she said.
“I loathe that song a lot of the time. A lot of times I don’t want to sing it. I’m not gonna write another song like it … I just want to tell people how I’m feeling.”
The NRL ultimately used a tribute act for its pre-game show, after V’landys redirected $1 million towards junior rugby league and highlighted the plight of former NRL player Jai Arrow and former Wallabies hooker Nathan Charles, both of whom are suffering from motor neurone disease.
The pared-back entertainment included performances from Amy Shark, Dave Gleeson of The Screaming Jets and Phil Jamieson of Grinspoon before the title decider between Newcastle and the Sydney Roosters.
