SYDNEY, Australia — Royel Otis expand their relationship with WME beyond representation in the Asia-Pacific region to include North America, South America, and all territories outside of Europe.
Through the arrangement, announced Thursday (Nov. 12), Royel Otis, an Australian indie-rock duo with a psychedelic twist, will be represented in those new territories by a team led by Kirk Sommer, global head of music for WME. Brett Murrihy, head of Asia-Pacific for WME, continues to represent the band in their homeland, Asia and the Middle East.
Led by Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, the Sydney act got tongues wagging with early cuts “Oysters in My Pocket” (2022) and “Sofa King” (2023), and turned all that promise into the real deal in 2024.
That breakout year got off to a cracking start when the Grammys tapped the lads as one of their “25 Artists To Watch;” the group’s debut full length album, Pratts & Pain, blasted into the ARIA top 10 (at No. 10); their cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger” for SiriusXM entered the Billboard Hot 100 (at No. 94); and finished on the right note with a dominant night at the ARIA Awards, with four wins from a leading eight nominations, including the pointy trophy for best group.
The following year, Royel Otis released their sophomore collection, Hickey, which opened its account at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart, cracked the Billboard 200 (at No. 151) and the Official U.K. Albums Chart (No. 14), and birthed the single “Moody,” which became their first-ever No. 1 on a Billboard chart, summiting on the Adult Alternative Airplay tally in July of that year.
In support of Hickey, the band landed slots at Glastonbury, Governors Ball, Lollapalooza and Fuji Rock, and played three nights at O2 Academy Brixton in South London. The journey has continued this year with spots on stage at Lollapalooza in Argentina, Chile and Brazil; then Estéreo Picnic and Tecate Pa’l Norte, plus their Coachella debut, stadium dates with Foo Fighters, and headline concerts at Prospect Park, Salt Sheds and the Greek Theatre. Currently, Royel Otis boasts 9.7 million followers on Spotify.
