CAPITOL, OURNESS TEAM FOR ROYEL OTIS PUSH

It's official: Tom March's Capitol Records has teamed with indie label Ourness on a deal to bring breakout act Royel Otis to an even wider audience.

The Aussie duo, comprised of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, has achieved viral success stateside with tracks like their cover of Sophie Ellis-Baxtor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor,” which flew to #1 at Alternative radio last spring. They’re currently following the same upward path with the driving “Sofa King,” now pushing its way into the Alternative Top 10.

Royel Otis has earned a reputation as a ferocious live presence and has developed a staunch following online and on DSPs, racking up nearly 500 million overall streams and gathering 10 million monthly Spotify listeners. The pair has also earned plenty of critical acclaim, including a 2024 Triple J Album of the Year award for debut full-length Pratts and Pain.

Said Capitol Music Group ruler March, “Royel and Otis have captured the attention of millions of music fans through their incredible songs and relentless touring. [Co-founder] Andrew [Klippel] and his team at Ourness have done an amazing job at building Royel Otis to this point, and the entire Capitol team is excited to work alongside them to expand the global fandom."

“My focus since the beginning of Ourness," noted Klippel, "has always been to customize the best global teams possible to create legacy careers for our artists. I'm extremely excited to be partnering with Tom March and [Capitol Music Group President] Lillia Parsa, along with the support of [Interscope Capitol Labels Group Chairman and CEO] John Janick, as an extension of this strategy. Our combined experience will form an integral part of realizing the ambition of Royel Otis."

Pictured getting the Royel treatment are (l-r): Janick, Klippel, the band's Maddell and Pavlovic, Parsa and March.