Royel Otis | |
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| Origin | Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Labels |
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| Members |
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| Website | royelotis |
Royel Otis is an Australianindie pop duo fromSydney, formed in 2019 by Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic. Their music encompasses the styles ofindie rock,new wave,pop rock,post-punk andpsychedelic rock.[1] Royel Otis released three EPs, includingSofa Kings, before their debut studio album,Pratts & Pain, was released in February 2024. The duo won four awards at the2024 ARIA Music Awards. Their sophomore studio album,Hickey, was released on 22 August 2025.
Royel Maddell (born Leroy Francis Bressington[2][3]) and Otis Pavlovic had known of each other around theByron Bay area and had family friends in common 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".[4][5] Prior to Royel Otis, Maddell fronted the band Cabins in the mid-2010s[6][7] and in 2018 released a solo EP entitledS.O.R.E. under the name Leroy Francis.[8][9] The band name Royel Otis is a combination of the first names of Maddell and Pavlovic, respectively, with Royel being ananagram of Maddell's real name Leroy.[10]
In October 2021, the duo released their debut EPCampus.[11] This was followed in August 2022, withBar n Grill of which included their breakthrough single "Oysters in My Pocket."[12][13] Off the back of the single's success,Spotify selected Royel Otis for the platform'sRADAR program.[14] Their third EPSofa Kings, released in March 2023, peaked at number 43 on theARIA Charts following its physical release in July 2023.[15] In September 2023, their song "Going Kokomo" was included in theEA Sports FC 24 soundtrack.[16] Their song "Nack Nostalgia" was featured inThe Sims 4; the duo also re-recorded their song inSimlish specifically for the game.[17]
In January 2024, theGrammy Awards named Royel Otis as one of 25 Artists to Watch in 2024.'[18] Later in January 2024, Royel Otis performedLike a Version cover ofSophie Ellis-Bextor's song "Murder on the Dancefloor" for Australian radio stationTriple J.[19] The cover went viral.[20] It reached theARIA Charts in February and reached No. 1 on the US Alternative Radio Chart in June.[21][22]
Royel Otis' debut studio albumPratts & Pain was released on 16 February 2024, debuting at No. 1 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart.[23][24]
The duo performed a cover ofthe Cranberries' "Linger" forSiriusXM radio in April 2024. It became a viral global hit on social media and reached theBillboard Hot 100 in August 2024.[25][26] The song was also featured inThe Summer I Turned Pretty.[27]
On 17 October 2024, Royel Otis made their US television debut performing "Sofa King" onJimmy Kimmel Live![28] During the year, the duo played more than 100 sold out shows, selling over 100,000 tickets across Australia, the UK, Europe and the USA.[citation needed] Following their success in the US, Royel Otis were signed byCapitol Records in November 2024.[29][30]
In January 2025, their cover of "Murder on the Dancefloor" ranked No. 2 onTriple J Hottest 100 of 2024, with "Heading for the Door", "Foam" and "If Our Love Is Dead" also charting.[31] "Til the Morning", "Clawfoot" and their SiriusXM cover of "Linger" rounded out the Triple J Hottest 200,[32] making Royel Otis one of the most represented artists featured inTriple J Hottest 100, 2024.
In May 2025, the duo released lead single "Moody" off their second studio album,Hickey.[33] The song received backlash on social media, with commenters perceiving its lyrics to bemisogynistic. 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 what were believed to be visual allusions toLolita.[34][35] Whilst the duo themselves did not publicly comment on the backlash, anon-apology apology was issued through the band's management, with Kay and Hughes Arts and Entertainment Lawyers stating the song was "written from a specific perspective" and was "not intended to convey a broader view or standpoint about women in general."[36][37]
Royel Otis landed their firstBillboard No. 1 with "Moody", which exceeded their previous No. 2 peak on Alternative Airplay with their cover of "Murder on the Dancefloor".[38] Royel Otis became the first act to score an initial No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay in 2025.[39]
The duo's second single "Car" was released on 27 June 2025, accompanied by a music video filmed inNew York City.[40]
On 15 August 2025, Maddell collapsed onstage whilst performing at theMS Dockville festival inHamburg, Germany. The band announced that Maddell's onstage collapse was due to a virus, and cancelled their upcoming performances at theLowlands andPukkelpop festivals.[41][42]
Royel Otis' sophomore album,Hickey, released on 22 August 2025.[43] The same day, the music video for "Who's Your Boyfriend", featuring American actressLola Tung, was released.[44] The album landed at #1 on theARIA Aus Album Charts.[45]
In early January 2026 it was widely reported that Leroy Bressington (Royel Maddell) had failed to convince theDistrict Court of Northern California to compelReddit to reveal the names, phone numbers, email addresses and IP addresses of anonymous Reddit users who had alleged on the online platform that Bressington had been found guilty of grooming and been involved in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student whilst employed as her music teacher at Kings Cross Conservatorium in Sydney.[46][47][48] Anonymous Reddit users had also alleged that Bressington was caught in the student's bedroom by her parents, reportedly broke both his legs jumping from her bedroom window to escape, was dropped by his record label and was blacklisted by radio stationTriple J as a result.[49][50]
Bressington's subpoena request was denied on 24 December 2025. According to the court docket, Bressington's legal team was "prepared to initiate" a defamation action if the Reddit users in question were also based in Australia; however, the filing did not explicitly state that a lawsuit would be brought.[51][52] The court noted this ambiguity as part of its reasoning.[53] Bressington's lawyer Ben Kay of Kay and Hughes Arts and Entertainment Lawyers had previously contactedGoogle earlier in 2025 to remove the Reddit threads from search results.[54]
JudgeWilliam Alsup, in his judgment, described Bressington's application as both "overreaching" and "overburdensome",[55] noting that the only allegations Bressington denied in his application were that an ex-partner accused him of sexual misconduct, that he was charged by authorities, and that Royel Otis were dropped from a record label. Judge Alsup noted that "nowhere in his application does Bressington specifically deny that he engaged in a nonconsensual sexual relationship with a minor".[56][57] "As only one indication among others, Bressington has not specifically rejected as false one of the most basic assertions alleged: that when not a minor he had sex with a minor," court documents read. "Again, open questions linger, but while nothing now squarely limits the statutory authority to assist, much already informs the exercise of that authority in accord with sound discretion."[58] Judge Alsup noted that Bressington had "not yet filed even a placeholder complaint against John Does in a foreign court," and that "it would be unusual to request a court’s assistance to obtain discovery in advance of litigation."[59] Judge Alsup wrote that "no litigation to stop these statements has been filed anywhere in the world," and "so far as we know, Bressington never has put pen to paper to inform any government authority anywhere in the world about the matters that concern this application, until submitting it now."[60]
Casey Epstein-Gross ofThe A.V. Club observed that "in trying to scrub [the allegations] from the realm of deeply-online rumor, Bressingtoninstead upgraded them to headlines - ones that will almost certainly outlive whatever Reddit discourse cycle prompted the application in the first place. He didn't clear his name. He didn't refute the allegation. He didn't even manage to file a lawsuit. What he did do was invite a federal judge to point out, on the record, that he never denied the claim at all. Oops."[61]
On 4 February 2026The Sydney Morning Herald reported that high-profile barrister Sue Chrysanthou had been brought in to assist Bressington mount defamation proceedings in Australia over anonymous Reddit posts. If one of the alleged defamatory Reddit comments is indexed byGoogle, this "could offer Bressington's legal team another route to action".The Sydney Morning Herald stated "you can trust we'll be watching on with great interest."[62]
When the band was asked bySPIN to comment on the allegations, a representative for the band stated that "the rumors circulating on the internet by anonymous trolls are entirely false."[63]
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally asAIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Royel Otis | Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year | Won | [64] |
| Sofa Kings | Best Independent Rock Album or EP | Nominated | ||
| 2025 | Pratts & Pain | Independent Album of the Year | Nominated | [65][66] |
| Best Independent Rock Album or EP | Nominated | |||
| Ourness and The Annex forPratts & Pain | Independent Marketing Team of the Year | Won | ||
| Thinking Loud forPratts & Pain | Independent Publicity Team of the Year | Won |
TheAPRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by theAustralasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Otis Pavlovic & Royel Maddell | Emerging Songwriter of the Year | Nominated | [67] |
| 2025 | "Heading for the Door" (Otis Pavlovic, Royel Maddell, Daniel Carey) | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [68] |
| Otis Pavlovic & Royel Maddell | Emerging Songwriter of the Year | Won | [69] |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating theAustralian music industry.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Sofa Kings | Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | [70] |
| 2024 | Pratts & Pain | Album of the Year | Nominated | [71] |
| Best Group | Won | |||
| Best Rock Album | Won | |||
| Best Independent Release | Nominated | |||
| "Murder on the Dance Floor" (Triple J Like a Version) | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Pratts & Pain Tour | Australian Live Act | Nominated | ||
| Chris Collins for Royel Otis -Pratts & Pain | Best Produced Release | Won | ||
| Best Engineered Release | Won | |||
| 2025 | Hickey | Best Group | Nominated | [72] |
| Best Rock Album | Nominated | |||
| Jamieson Kerr for Royel Otis – "Car" | Best Video | Nominated | ||
| "Linger" (SiriusXM Session) | Song of the Year | Nominated |
TheJ Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio stationTriple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "Kool Aid" | Australian Video of the Year | Nominated | [73] |
| 2024 | Pratts & Pain | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated | [74] |
The NSW Music Prize aims to "celebrate, support and incentivise" theNSW's most talented artists, with "the aim of inspiring the next generations of stars". It commenced in 2025.[75]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Royel Otis | NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Nominated | [76] |
TheRolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually by theAustralian edition ofRolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Royel Otis | Best New Artist | Nominated | [77] |
| 2025 | "If Our Love Is Dead" | Best Single | Shortlisted | [78] |