“I’ve always joked I felt like a flamingo in a flock of zebras and sometimes I still do.”
The Austrian pop queen in-waiting, TØNY states as she dives into her artistic manifesto behind her upcoming album, Chronically Misunderstood due next year.
She kickstarts this journey with her most recent release Overdrive. An emotionally complex hymn destined for the youth of today. In Overdrive, the rising artist flips heartbreak on its head and sets the stage for her unapologetically raw debut album. People have flocked to TØNY’s music around the world like bees to honey, drawn to its sweet, captivating sound and her distinct singing voice. TØNY speaks with the kind of openness that feels both disarming and magnetic, every answer tumbling out like a line from a diary.
The single: Overdrive
I know you mentioned that ‘Overdrive isn’t about moving fast, it’s about slowing down and feeling everything’. What’s the story behind the song, and why did you want it to lead the way for your album?
TØNY: I dreamed about how my ideal partner would make me feel appreciated, respected and unconditionally loved, unfortunately for me, this wasn’t my reality! So Overdrive actually started as a heartbreak song and turned into this hymn of appreciation for the right person sort of by accident. It’s almost giving ‘manifesting the right person’ now instead of ‘giving the wrong one screen-time.’ TØNY states: “it’s one of the most vulnerable things I’ve written as it feels like handing someone pages out of my diary. That’s why sharing it felt scary at first, but I knew surely I’m not the only one going through stuff like this so leading with Overdrive felt right, hoping it resonates with anyone in a similar situation. At the end of the day though, I want everyone to just make the record their own and I hope my songs, whether it be Overdrive or another, can provide a safe haven for people to feel whatever they need to feel in the moment.”
That shift from pain to possibility is the spark behind the power anthem, Overdrive, released September 5. The single is the ignition point for Chronically Misunderstood, a record only comparable to a confession booth wired to an amplifier.
Your music is already reaching audiences in different continents. How does it feel knowing your songs connect with people you’ve never even met?
TØNY: “It feels kind of wild. I’m grateful if even one person listens, so when it’s people halfway across the world, I don’t even know how to process that. Sometimes you feel like no one gets you, and then suddenly a song does. If I can give someone that feeling, that’s the dream. I’m really thankful for every fan who’s been here from the start or is just discovering me.”
The album: Chronically Misunderstood
Due early next year, TØNY’s debut album doesn’t pull any punches. Fueled by heartbreak, growing pains and the messy business of emotional growth, it’s the sound of an artist ripping her heart open in real time driven by fresh pop songwriting with earworms to spare.
Your album title, Chronically Misunderstood, feels like every kid who ever thought ‘no one gets me.’ Do you feel like you’ve always been misunderstood?
TØNY: “I used to jokingly say I feel like a flamingo in a flock of zebras and to be honest sometimes I still do. I’ve always felt a little ‘quirky-licious’, and I try to let that flow into my music. The artist-to-watch states: “When I moved to New York, here everyone was their own different beautiful kind of animal which was magical. It made me realize that being a misfit is actually what makes you belong. Experiences like that are why I value connection and my ‘quirky-licious community’ so much.”
If Chronically Misunderstood was a moodboard, what would be on it?
TØNY: “There’s this awesome meme I saw recently of sparkly pink shrimp jamming in a living room, and honestly… that’s it. Just unapologetically being yourself, vibing out even if people may think it’s weird.” Regarding her Album due in early 2026.
“I’m excited for everyone to hear it and hopefully vibe out like the shrimp in the meme – my friends always lovingly refer to my songs as ‘new episodes on the life of TØNY so I can’t wait to share the ‘new season’ with my fans.”
What do you hope fans finally understand about you after listening to Chronically Misunderstood?
TØNY: “Honestly, for me, it’s more about my fans feeling understood most of all. I hope the songs feel like a friend or a safe place you can go when you need it. If even one track makes someone feel less alone in what they are going through, that’s all I could ask for. I know how that feels, so it means the world to me if I can sprinkle a little joy into someone else’s world.
I’ll never forget when I was, I think, around 7, I was going through a tough time and ‘you belong with me’ came up on TV and I remember vividly feeling like no-one in the world gets me as much as that song. It made me feel so understood and comforted, that’s the moment I decided I want to make people feel like that too, less alone and like there is always hope.”
The collaborators: Giants in the room
The album ropes in some heavy hitters: 2x Grammy-winning producer and mixer Josh Giunta, veteran hitmaker Ruediger Schramm, and rising EDM producer Rayrick. Crafting a sound that’s equal parts diary entry and addictive melodies keeping pace with the most established songwriters.
You’ve worked with serious talent throughout your career: writers and producers with big credits, including past collaborations with Mathias Roska and Kerim Wilhelm (Spacey Kay). Thinking about this record specifically, was there a moment that stood out to you?
TØNY: “I’ve honestly been so lucky and am grateful for all the people I got to work with so far! Especially everyone you mentioned was a joy to work with and are so talented, it felt effortless to create together. For this record, a fond memory is a late-night writing session in Berlin with Ruediger. We totally let our inner ‘music nerds’ loose, listening to EXO’s fabulous vocal stacks and creating music until 3 a.m. it was pretty iconic.”
How do you stay grounded collaborating with industry leaders and simultaneously keeping TØNY’s authentic sound?
TØNY: “At the end of the day, we’re all just people. I have the utmost respect for everyone I get to work with, and am always excited and grateful to create music with fellow music lovers. Regardless of who is in the room, though, I’d always stay kind, professional and true to myself. When it comes to music, I’m unapologetically me because that’s the only way it feels honest. Plus, it just feels better when everyone can be themselves and there’s a good vibe. So sometimes, I will take sticky notes, put them around the studio, drawing funny faces on them for good luck and to just make everyone giggle.”
Brushing shoulders with heavyweights. What was a moment when you thought, ‘Okay, I belong here’?
TØNY: “That’s a tough question. I’m not sure if I had a ‘I belong here’ moment yet, but I definitely had moments where I felt like I am on the right path. I remember I was at Anti Social Songwriting Camp, and made a friend who also happened to know Rob Mathes, who I knew from Power Station, so we sent him a selfie and Rob texted back something along the lines of ‘she will write you a hit ’ or something. His friend probably wasn’t supposed to show me that text, but he did and I never told anyone this story before, but at that moment I felt deeply honored.”
Do you remember the exact moment your music had left your bedroom and was living its own life?
TØNY: “I do actually, it’s kind of a wild story. My mom called around New Years, because her friend had filmed my song coming up on a taxi radio in Vienna. Then as we spoke on the phone, literally while she told me about the video, my song came up on her radio too, which was just the wildest coincidence. So, naturally, we just started screaming in excitement. I still haven’t heard it on the radio myself, but whenever it happens to my friends, they send me videos or texts and each time it’s just so cool and such a surreal feeling, I legit get goosebumps every time.”
Overdrive is out now, September 5, 2025. Chronically Misunderstood, the debut album from TØNY, drops early next year.