Over the past year, Australian rock duo Royel Otis has burst onto the global stage with a series of hits, each bigger than the last. But the band had already seen significant success in their home country, with a trio of EPs — Campus, Bar n Grill and Sofa Kings — and a debut album, Pratts & Pain, on indie label Ourness, which won them awards, recognition and a loyal fan base down under, and some traction on U.S. radio.
But it was two one-off cover performances for radio stations in 2024 that propelled them into the mainstream. The first, a cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor,” recorded for Triple J radio in Australia, rocketed to No. 2 on Alternative Airplay last July. And the second, a cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger” recorded for SiriusXM’s live sessions, became their first Hot 100 entry last August, coming in at No. 94 and announcing the band’s arrival.
Last November, Ourness partnered with Capitol to propel Royel Otis further, and that development is paying off: the band’s latest single, “Moody,” became its first-ever No. 1 on a Billboard chart as it reaches the summit of Adult Alternative Airplay this week, a milestone for the group as it gears up to release its second album, Hickey. And with the group’s success so far, Ourness co-founder/director Andrew Klippel is Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Klippel talks about the rise of Royel Otis over the past few years, how those covers helped shine a light on the duo’s back catalog and win them new fans, and what comes next for both the group and his indie label. “Royel Otis are always writing, so I imagine after this cycle they will be back in the studio,” Klippel says. “Ourness will be working closely with our artists to help in whatever ways we can for them to be the most definitive version of themselves possible — to hopefully help build long careers.”
This week, Royel Otis lands its first-ever No. 1 on a Billboard chart, as “Moody” reaches No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay. What key decision(s) did you make to help make that happen?
It’s our first No. 1 at AAA, which is a huge milestone for the project. Prior to our partnership with Capitol we had taken the format seriously, but had more traction at non com, so it’s definitely been Dan Connelly and the radio team at Interscope Capitol working closely with Hallie Anderson from the Ourness team. With continued audience growth through touring, socials and streaming — the timing was right and we were able to convert that momentum into our first No. 1. Radio has always been a huge priority for us, and we intend on continuing that. Alternative commercial format on “Moody” is moving very strongly for us and timing wise on a trajectory that’s beating our prior No. 1, “Murder on the Dancefloor.”
This chart topper comes after the band had a couple significant hits in the U.S. with a few covers, including with The Cranberries’ “Linger” and Sophie Ellis-Bexter’s “Murder on the Dancefloor.” How were you able to leverage those cover successes into interest in the band’s original material?
While the covers brought significant attention, the band had the strongest growth on “Oysters In My Pocket” prior to the covers. That’s where the largest growth happened, exponentially speaking. That’s where they gained artist support and gate keeper support. There was strong love from the music community for the band based on that song and the discovery of the back catalog that existed prior to the covers and the ambitious release strategy from [EPs] Bar n Grill into Sofa Kings, then into [album] Pratts and Pain. Both “Murder on the Dancefloor” and “Linger” helped us introduce the band to new audiences and broaden our reach — but by that point, we had a strong foundation in place, with a strong catalog of original music. That allowed fans to dive into this and connect with the band.
Royel Otis
Georges Antoni
The band has also had significant success in their native Australia. How did you work to cross them over into Europe and the U.S. over the past few years?
We worked the EU and U.S. in parallel from the start. We knew it would take a lot of time and invested accordingly in terms of risk profile. This way, more or less, the growth in those major territories was at similar levels and everything made sense in terms of live, PR, assets and the energy of the boys. We built a consistent global strategy and story from the beginning. That’s paid off with the consistent release schedule.
Last fall, Ourness partnered with Capitol to work the band globally. What has that deal allowed you to do?
It’s been great to partner up with Tom [March], Lillia [Parsa] and the Capitol team — it’s opened up so much on an A&R level in terms of access and experience. Being able to work closely with their DSP team has been great; global has been another outstanding elevation. It’s really helped us to scale. We’re not looking to scale in an artificial way unless that happens naturally, we’re looking to build solid career growth through our relationship with Capitol, which is something we aligned on from the inception of the deal.
“Moody” is the first single from the band’s forthcoming sophomore album. How are you planning to set up this album differently than the first, and what are you hoping to accomplish with it?
The key differentiator is that this album has a shorter, punchier cycle leading up to release. We’re hoping this will hold attention and build energy with our audience, gatekeepers and internal teams. The cadence feels customized around the songs and culture of this album. The intention is to build audience at a steady rate that supports retention and conversion on a career level. We’re not trying to create virality, but [we’re] always open to move with that when and if it happens.