The Australian National Rugby League has taken a swipe at Tones and I after she pulled out of performing at its Grand Final.
The Dance Monkey singer, whose real name is Toni Watson, pulled out as the headline act for the pre-match entertainment just days before the final, which is one of the country’s top sporting events.
While she cited “prior commitments” as her reason for the withdrawal, reports suggest her refusal to perform her biggest hit, Dance Monkey, led the NRL to scrap her appearance.
In front of a capacity crowd in Sydney on Sunday, Francis Manuleleua scored the first try of the match for the Newcastle Knights against the Sydney Roosters, and Dance Monkey blasted across the stadium.
Rugby fans flooded X to weigh in on the song choice, with one writing, “Dance Monkey after the first try the level of pettiness is iconic, haha.”
Tones and I has said in the past that she hates the song.
“I don’t want to just try to chase that song. I loathe that song a lot of the time. A lot of times I don’t want to sing it,” the Aussie singer told radio station Nova of her US top five hit.
She made headlines in 2024 when Dance Monkey passed three billion streams on Spotify, making her the first female artist in history to hit the milestone.
After talks between Tones and I and the NRL broke down, the chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission, Peter V’landys, said the AU$1 million (£530,000) entertainment budget would instead go towards grassroots rugby programmes.
A scaled-down entertainment package included performances by Amy Shark, The Screaming Jets’ Dave Gleeson, and Phil Jamieson from Grinspoon.
