Royel Otis

Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Genres Indie pop indie rock pop rock new wave psychedelic rock Years active 2019–present Royel Otis are an Australian guitar-pop duo from Sydney. The band was formed in 2019 by Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic. Their musical style is described as indie pop, indie rock, new wave, pop rock, post-punk and psychedelic rock.[1] Royel Otis released three EPs, including Sofa Kings, before their debut studio album, Pratts & Pain, was released in February 2024. The duo won four awards the 2024 ARIA Music Awards. History 2019–2023: Beginnings Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic had known of each other around the Byron Bay area before Pavlovic sent Maddell some demos in 2019. They bonded over their shared love of the same bands and music with Maddell claiming this was "the collaboration he'd been chasing his whole life".[2][3] The band's name is a combination of the first names of Maddell and Pavlovic, respectively.[4] In October 2021, the duo released their debut EP Campus.[5] This was followed in August 2022, with Bar n Grill of which included their breakthrough single "Oysters in My Pocket."[6][7] Off the back of the single's success, Spotify selected Royel Otis for the platform’s esteemed RADAR program.[8] Their third EP Sofa Kings, released in March 2023, peaked at number 43 on the ARIA Charts following its physical release in July 2023. In September 2023, their song "Going Kokomo" was included in the EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack. Their song "Nack Nostalgia" was featured in The Sims 4, the duo also re-recorded their song in Simlish specifically for the game. 2024: Breakthrough and Pratts & Pain Royel Otis performing at Splendour in the Grass 2023 In January 2024, The Grammys named Royel Otis as one of '25 Artists to Watch in 2024.'[12] Later in January 2024, Royel Otis performed Like a Version cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's song "Murder on the Dancefloor" for Australian radio station Triple J.[13] The cover went viral.[14] It reached the ARIA Charts in February and earned #1 on US Alternative Radio Chart in June.[15][16] Royel Otis' debut studio album Pratts & Pain was released on 16 February 2024, debuting at #1 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart.[17][18] The duo performed a cover of The Cranberries' "Linger" for Sirius XM radio in April 2024. It became a viral global hit on social media and reached the Billboard Hot 100 in August 2024. On 17 October 2024 Royel Otis made their US television debut performing "Sofa King" on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Following their success in the US, Royel Otis were signed by Capitol Records in November 2024. 2025–present In January 2025, their Like a Version cover of "Murder on the Dancefloor" ranked #2 on Triple J Hottest 100, 2024.[24] "Heading for the Door", "Foam" and "If Our Love Is Dead" all charted in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2024."Til the Morning", "Clawfoot" and their SiriusXM cover of "Linger (The Cranberries song)" rounded out the Triple J Hottest 200[26] making Royel Otis one of the most represented artists featured in Triple J Hottest 100, 2024. In May 2025, the duo released the single "Moody".[27] The single’s announcement received significant backlash on social media, with many commenters perceiving the song’s lyrics to be misogynistic. The duo were also accused of silencing online criticism by deleting comments addressing the perceived misogynistic tone of the song and its accompanying videoclip which features visual allusions to Lolita (1997 film).[28][29] Whilst the duo themselves have not publicly commented on the backlash, a non-apology apology was issued through the band's management, with Kay and Hughes Arts and Entertainment Lawyers stating "Moody has been Royel Otis' highest performing release in the first 2 weeks globally both digitally and on radio. This song is written from a specific perspective, it is not intended to convey a broader view or standpoint about women in general. We apologise if anyone understood those lyrics otherwise