Royel Otis is flying the flag on the U.S. charts.
The psychedelic indie outfit from Sydney has cracked the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with their viral cover of The Cranberries’ classic “Linger.”
The lads’ version of “Linger” debuts at No. 94 on the U.S. singles chart with 5.2 million official streams (up 56%) and 302,000 radio audience impressions (up 53%) in the United States for the tracking week starting July 26, according Luminate data published by Billboard.
Also, the cut vaults 18-12 on Billboard’s Hot Alternative Songs chart and 29-16 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
There’s no way of tracking when last an Australian act had a U.S. hit with a 30-year-old cover of an Irish creation, though it’s safe to say the result is a rare one.
Globally, “Linger” is closing in on 45 million Spotify streams, and its music video has clocked more than 14 million views on YouTube.
Released May 31 as part of a live session for SiriusXM’s Alt Nation, the cover enjoyed a viral turn on TikTok, with its audio used as the soundbed to more than 160,000 clips on the short-video app.
All the numbers are looking up as Royel Otis finds new audiences; their Spotify monthly listeners have grown from 7.9 million in late June to 9.2 million at Monday, Aug. 12th and fans are flocking to their official accounts on YouTube (43,800 subscribers, up 346% in 6 months); Instagram (252,000 followers, up 614% in 6 months) and TikTok (255.5K followers, up 2,919% over 6 months).
Royel Otis, led by childhood friends Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, are signed to Andrew Klippel’s Ourness, the reigning independent label of the year at the AIR Awards and label home to Genesis Owusu.
Their special “blend of propulsive rhythms and laid-back cool” had the Grammys identifying the Aussies as one of 25 Artists To Watch In 2024, and they’ve enjoyed shout-outs from the likes of Elton John, Lil Yachty, Travis Kelce and others.
Clicks are converting to tickets. The group’s expanding U.S. tour has sold more than 13,000 tickets and is on track for a total sellout, reps say. Including a national tour in support of their debut album Pratts & Pain, which debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart in February, more than 100,000 fans worldwide have bought tickets to see Royel Otis this year.
“We are over the moon to have our first album out and furthermore beside ourselves from all the love we’ve received around the world on the release,” Royel Otis told this reporter back in February.
Next up, a performance Aug. 16th at Openair Gampel in Switzerland, with the U.S. leg starting in September and another run of the U.K. and Europe into early December.
