Key facts
- Tones and I reportedly turned down an offer to perform at the NRL Grand Final.
- NRL boss Peter V'landys stated negotiations broke down due to 'artistic differences'.
- Some reports claimed Tones and I did not want to play her hit song 'Dance Monkey'.
- The NRL will proceed without pre-game entertainment.
- Tones and I's management stated they were contacted about the gig only three weeks prior.
- Tones and I's management claimed she had a prior commitment with Macklemore in the US.
The National Rugby League (NRL) Grand Final will proceed without pre-game entertainment following a dispute over a potential performance by Australian singer Tones and I. NRL boss Peter V'landys stated that negotiations with the artist, whose real name is Toni Watson, broke down due to 'artistic differences,' suggesting that the proposed payment of $90,000 a minute for an 11-minute performance was not worthwhile.
Some reports indicated that Tones and I was unwilling to perform her hit song 'Dance Monkey,' a track she has previously expressed dislike for. However, her management, Lemon Tree Music, refuted this, stating they were only contacted about the gig on September 5, three weeks before the event. They claimed no deal was signed and that Tones and I had a prior commitment with Macklemore in the US.
The NRL, however, has contradicted Tones and I's management, asserting that discussions with her label, Sony, began much earlier than September 5. The league also denied the claim that the request was too last-minute or that prior commitments were the reason for cancellation. The NRL spokesperson confirmed that Tones and I's management made it clear she would not perform 'Dance Monkey.'
Neither Tones and I's label nor her management have provided further comment. Tones and I herself posted on Instagram about upcoming shows in March 2027, cheekily stating she would be singing 'all Songs.' The nature of her 'prior commitment' with Macklemore remains unclear, though they are known collaborators and friends.