Royel Otis are having their Hollywood moment.
The Sydney indie-pop duo packed out two sold-out shows at LA’s iconic Troubadour this week, where they treated fans to the live debut of their brand-new single, “Moody” — and some famous faces were along for the ride.
Among the crowd? None other than producer and hitmaker Benny Blanco, Euphoria star Maude Apatow, and White Lotus scene-stealer Lukas Gage, all spotted soaking up the band’s signature blend of breezy melodies and emotional punch.
@musicforallll6 (this is benny blanco at royel otis show) #bennyblanco #royelotis #concerts #liveshow #selenagomez #losangeles #la #troubadour #fyp ♬ original sound – musicfanaticc2
“Moody”, which officially drops this Friday, May 9th, marks the first new music from Royel Otis since their breakout debut album PRATTS & PAIN put them on the global radar last year — ARIA wins, Billboard charts, and a wild run of international tours included.
And if the buzz in LA is anything to go by, Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic are only just getting started.
While the accolades piled up, the duo never lost sight of their messy, experimental roots. Speaking to Rolling Stone AU/NZ earlier this year, Pavlovic shared, “We’ve got a little bit of time away to just work on some music.” Maddell added, “I don’t know how anyone has an actual schedule or a routine of how they write songs. We just work together, bounce ideas off each other… it’s always different. It’s like building a cake.”
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@musicforallll6 📍 THE TROUBADOUR, LOS ANGELES #royelotis #indie #indiemusic #indieband #indierock #concerts #show #livemusic #oystersinmypocket #newmusic #newmusicfriday #fyp ♬ original sound – musicfanaticc2
That free-flowing creative process has helped them craft some of the most infectious and offbeat indie-pop in recent memory—and it’s clearly still working. “Moody” leans into their talent for emotionally charged, deceptively breezy songwriting, layering dreamy melodies over a core of sharp-edged vulnerability.
The Troubadour shows are just the beginning. Royel Otis are set to support Halsey on select dates of her upcoming North American tour this June, joining a powerhouse lineup that includes Evanescence, Alvvays, Magdalena Bay, The Warning, and more. The duo will open for Halsey at shows in Ontario, Michigan, and Ohio.
Then it’s back to headlining: their ‘Meet Me in the Car’ tour kicks off August 5th in Seattle, with stops in New York, Philadelphia, Austin, Boston, and Washington, D.C., and support from DANCER and bby on select dates.
Festival-goers won’t miss out either—Royel Otis are locked in for some of the biggest events on the US summer calendar, including Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and more still to be announced.
At the start of the year, the Recording Academy named Royel Otis one of its ’25 Artists to Watch’. By year’s end, the duo had more than delivered. But if you ask them, it’s only getting wilder from here. Back in December, Maddell summed up the last twelve months in one word: “Chaos.”
