International superstar Tones And I performed in the Riverina with shows in Young and Wagga Wagga in 2024. Photo: Young Services Club.
The battle is on between Riverina towns vying for the chance to host international music sensation Tones And I.
The Aussie popstar caused a stir over the weekend, announcing that she would host a pop-up show at a regional venue somewhere in Australia. The Dance Monkey singer said in the post that she would travel to and perform in the town that put forward the best case and built the most buzz.
Previously, she visited both Young and Wagga Wagga in late 2024, following a similar callout to the one she made recently.
Tones And I shot to superstardom in 2019 with the release of Dance Monkey. The song became the first by a female artist to surpass three billion streams on Spotify and currently sits as the 24th most-streamed song of all time.
Tones And I also currently boasts more than 18 million unique monthly listeners on Spotify, making her one of the most listened to Australian artists of all time.
In her post, which has already garnered 14,000 likes, 25,000 comments and 2000 shares, she confirmed that her concert, no matter where it was eventually held, would cost only $10 a ticket and would be held on 27 February. The winner is set to be announced this Sunday (25 January).
Less than 24 hours after the announcement, several Riverina towns had already rallied to host the pop sensation, creating groups and posts, tagging media and making videos.
At the time of writing, Cootamundra, Griffith, Temora, Deniliquin, Wagga and Junee had made huge pushes, with the owner of the Junee Hotel, Emma Reynolds, stating her case on why her town was the logical choice.
“It’s about time Junee gets some love,” she said.
“The Junee Hotel has been hosting live music for close to 50 years. We’re halfway between Sydney and Melbourne. We’re the perfect rest spot and part of the Riverina food bowl.
“An event like this can put a town like Junee on the map. We have the chocolate factory and the railway line, sure, but to say we hosted an international artist is a completely different thing.
“It’s going to be such a good time regardless of where she plays, and that’s what pubs are all about.”
Ms Reynolds applauded Tones And I for making a consistent effort to visit regional towns to perform.
“In regional New South Wales, it’s been really hard with the droughts and fires, not to mention we’re hours away from Sydney and Melbourne,” she said.
“By coming out to regional centres, it just shows that she listens to her fans and takes on their feedback. We know she has fans around the world, but she also has plenty of fans here in Australia in places like Junee.”
Ms Reynolds is calling on her fellow Junee residents to spread the word and share her hotel’s post on social media.
“We shared the post on Sunday night, and not even 12 hours later, I woke, and it spread like wildfire,” she said.
“Tagged her on the Facebook page, shared it on Instagram and commented so all their friends can see.
“To all the other towns, good luck and may the best pub win!”
