A few hours before Royel Otis plays at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival in early August, frontmen Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic are in search of a healthy meal and a full night’s rest. It’s been early-morning flights and on-the-go food for the alt-rock duo as of late: just three nights earlier, the group made its Lollapalooza debut in Chicago, and two days after Osheaga, they’ll begin a few West Coast dates across the continent.

“I wanted to play music so I didn’t have to work much,” Maddell says with a joking laugh. “I thought it was, like, a lazy lifestyle. But my God.”

Following a year in which a pair of cover songs propelled Maddell, 35, and Pavlovic, 24, to a new level of commercial success, the Australian musicians have spent much of 2025 fortifying their widening fan base. They spent the front half of the year preparing new music and, more recently, performed it for oversized festival crowds, including at Governors Ball, Bonnaroo and Glastonbury.

Fortunately, all those hours in the studio, doing press and on the road are paying dividends: As Royel Otis prepare to release its second studio album, Hickey, out Aug. 22, the project’s garage rock lead single “Moody” is the band’s best showcase to date of its mainstream appeal, both on increasingly large stages and radio stations across the globe.

The two say they properly met in a bar six or seven years ago, despite a number of connections growing up, including Pavlovic’s uncle and Maddell’s dad being close friends. Prior to linking up, Maddell had played guitar in high school and in a few local Sydney bands; Pavlovic had busked a bit and written songs with friends. They began to show each other demos, and by the onset of the pandemic, they were creating new ones together in Maddell’s miniature home studio.

By mid-2020, those demos made their way to Australian independent record label and artist management company OURNESS director/CEO Andrew Klippel, thanks to his colleague Julian Sudek, who had a hand in working on them. “I remember on my second listen going, ‘Hang on, these guys are amazing songwriters,’ ” Klippel recalls. “And Otis’ voice was distinctive and memorable. To me, that was a no-brainer.” Three months later, he started managing the group, and the band signed a label deal with OURNESS.

Rather than first securing a local fan base, Klippel immediately strategized how to take Royel Otis to the world’s biggest markets: prior to the band’s debut EP, Campus, in 2021, he hired in2une Music for radio promotion, Grandstand Media for stateside PR and a number of independent marketing firms across the U.S. and U.K.

“Our first proper tour was in the U.K.,” says Pavlovic. “When we first started they were small numbers, but the U.K. and Americans would always match Australia.”

Royel Otis spent the next few years growing its catalog, with each new release broadening the duo’s buzz. 2022 EP Bar & Grill boasted the ebullient single “Oysters In My Pocket,” which scored a placement on Spotify’s Dopamine playlist that March. Sofa Kings followed in 2023, and its title track — which also appeared on 2024 debut album Pratts & Pain — picked up airplay at SiriusXM’s Alt Nation, and later was added to the rotation at alternative Los Angeles radio station KROQ.

In early 2024, as “Sofa King” continued to lounge at radio, Royel Otis stopped by Australian radio station triple j and performed an alternative-tinged rendition of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s resurgent Saltburn song “Murder on the Dancefloor” for its Like a Version series. It went viral, and the instant acclaim caused the group to shift its push in real time, pivoting to promoting the cover at all formats.

History repeated itself a few months later during a live session on SiriusXM’s Alt Nation, as Royel Otis’ strumming take on The Cranberries’ 1993 smash “Linger” struck a chord with listeners. By that August, the latter cover became the band’s first hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Still, one year later, the cover lingers, scoring a key synch on the current season of Amazon Prime’s hit series The Summer I Turned Pretty.

“When ‘Linger’ happened, Roy and I were both like, ‘We kooked it, we should not have done another cover,’ ” Pavlovic remembers. “It was just surprising as hell. We never really had a thing like that.”

The strength of such hits also gave the duo some additional muscle in conversations with labels as they sought a U.S. record deal. “We felt like we hit a ceiling in some ways, especially in the U.S.,” Klippel says. “We felt like we really needed a major-label partner [and] had the right leverage to be a priority within that system.” Plus, he wanted to ensure that with the success of “Murder on the Dancefloor” and “Linger” that Royel Otis didn’t “become a cover band,” he says. In November, Royel Otis inked a deal with Capitol Records in partnership with OURNESS.

Pavlovic and Maddell swiftly got to work on its next album at the start of 2025 — this time, with a host of established hitmakers to help, including Amy Allen, Blake Slatkin, Omer Fedi and Jungle’s Josh Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto. “When you’re working with that many people, at first, it’s a bit like speed dating,” says Maddell. “You have to get to know each other really quickly, but that’s what makes them professional.”

Around March, during a session with Allen and Slatkin, Maddell started messing around with chords to pair with an acoustic that Slatkin had at the ready. Pavlovic then began doing melodies over the top, and once Allen helped the duo with a writing concept, Royel Otis had the makings of what would become Hickey lead single “Moody.” Outside of the song’s intro and bridge, the hit was largely finished in one day.

They teased the chorus throughout April on social media, with several grainy-filtered TikTok clips compiling millions of views and helping the song receive a warm welcome at alternative radio upon its May 9 release. “Moody” debuted on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart dated May 24; the following week, it surfaced on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart.

But as the crunchy hit quickly spread, a stream of comments and headlines began to surface regarding the song’s lyrics — specifically taking umbrage at a line from its chorus (“My girl’s a b–ch when she’s moody”). “It was definitely stressful,” Maddell admits. “I think it’s important for everyone to have their opinion — we didn’t mean for it to be offensive. We didn’t expect it. But that stuff is going to happen the more popular you get, so you just try not to fuel it. A lot of people assume that the person singing is the hero, but that wasn’t our intention. It’s supposed to be contradictory.” Plus, he notes, Allen has assured them, saying, “I’ve got your back.”

Still, “Moody” has remained a growing force in the months since its release, particularly on the airwaves. The single became Royel Otis’ first No. 1 on any Billboard chart when it topped the Adult Alternative Airplay ranking dated July 12 — and has remained in the pole position since. (It also cracked the top 10 on Rock & Alternative Airplay in late July.)

The duo has followed “Moody” with a pair of tracks detailing relationships on the rocks in “Car” and “Say Something,” as it gears to release Hickey later this month. And there will be no rest for the weary after the album is out: Royel Otis launches a 12-date North American headlining tour in September, followed by a return to Australia in October before traversing Europe to close the year. Klippel suggests that Pavlovic and Maddell will then have a good amount of time to enjoy some well-deserved rest. After all, despite the fast pace right now, he says the ultimate goal is more of a marathon mentality.

“I just want to see growth — I don’t mind if it’s not meteoric,” says Klippel. “That’s how the team feels about the project, and I think that’s a good place to be.”

A version of this story appears in the Aug. 16, 2025, issue of Billboard.

House Republicans are getting involved in Canada’s Online Streaming Act.

In a July 31 letter published by the National Post, 18 GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee call on President Trump and other officials to pressure the Canadian government to suspend the Online Streaming Act, which they describe as a “major threat” to the trade relationship.

They argue that American streaming services are crucial contributors to the U.S. economy, and that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)’s decision to require major foreign streaming services to pay 5% of their annual Canadian revenue to Canadian content funds is harmful to digital cross-border trade.

“The fact that the Online Streaming Act already imposes discriminatory obligations and threatens additional obligations imminently is a major threat to our cross-border digital trade relationship,” read the letter addressed to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

“As bilateral trade negotiations continue, we urgently request that you engage with your Canadian counterparts to share our concerns and rescind the Online Streaming Act.”

In their letter, the members of Congress write that the streaming sector represents an “economic growth engine” for the U.S. and should be prioritized as part of negotiations that seek to dismantle “digital trade irritants” in Canada.

They stated that in 2023, on-demand video revenue contributed $70 billion U.S. to the American economy, in addition to $14.3 billion U.S. from music streaming.

“The CRTC’s implementation of the Online Streaming Act is deeply problematic. Online streaming services significantly differ from domestic broadcasters and the resulting CRTC decisions under the Act clearly discriminate against American companies, interfere with consumer choice, and harm American artists and right holders.”

The members of Congress who signed the letter (all Republicans) include Lloyd Smucker, Carol D. Miller, Ron Estes and Rudy Yakym.

Under the law – which was implemented by the Liberal government in 2023 — CRTC ruled that the allocated funds from streaming services such as Spotify, Netflix, Amazon and Apple would go towards established organizations. This includes non-profits like FACTOR Canada and Musicaction, which financially support thousands of musicians and music companies across the country. In recent years, their resources have dramatically dropped due to reduced contributions from private broadcasters.

Currently, the decision — which is estimated to cost the platforms $1.25 million each annually — is being challenged by Apple, Amazon and Spotify. In December 2024, the courts paused the payments until the June hearing at the Federal Court of Appeal, which had yet to yield results.

The release of the letter follows the rescinded Canadian Digital Service Tax two months ago as part of the nation’s trade negotiations with the United States — a controversial reversal following Trump’s threats of annexation.

Last fall, the Digital Music Association (DIMA) launched a campaign titled “Scrap the Streaming Tax,” which warned consumers that the mandated payments “could lead to higher prices for Canadians and fewer content choices” as a result of increased subscription fees.

President & CEO of DIMA, Graham Davies, continues to argue that streaming services already contribute to the Canadian music ecosystem and should not have to pay base contributions for Canadian Content.

“This policy, introduced under the previous Canadian government, was problematic then and is problematic now. It threatens to increase costs for consumers and negatively impact the long-term growth and competitiveness of Canada’s currently flourishing music industry,” said Davies.

But many within the music industry have welcomed the regulation, including the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA).

In January, Andrew Cash, the President of CIMA, told Billboard Canada: “The question for tech companies who are making money in Canada is: is it appropriate for them to contribute to the Canadian music ecosystem?” The answer from CIMA is a clear yes. “Canadians, through their democratic institutions, have made a decision about this.”

Billboard Canada has reached out to CIMA for a response to the new Republican campaign.

In the lead-up to and following the approval of the Online Streaming Act, CIMA, among organizations including Spotify, Netflix and Music Canada, participated in the lengthy legislative and consultation process.

Now, with Mark Carney succeeding Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister of Canada, the pushback continues.

This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.

Given Ozzy Osbourne‘s well-known penchant for silly behavior, it’s not surprising to hear that the private family funeral for the heavy metal icon had moments of darkness and quite a few of levity. Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, who performed in Ozzy’s solo band from 1996-2003, dropped by SiriusXm’s Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk on Friday (Aug. 8) to describe the laugher and the tears during the July 30 private funeral for his musical hero and friend.

“It was a small group of people, but it was very, very beautiful. And in the end, the speeches were actually… I mean, it was very sad, but at the same time some of the speeches were – as you could imagine – pretty funny. And there were a lot of tears,” said Trujillo of the final tribute to Osbourne, who died at age 76 of a heart attack on July 22, just weeks after performing his final show at the all-star Back to the Beginning gig in Birmingham, England.

The other members of Black Sabbath spoke and Trujillo said bassist Geezer Butler in particular struggled to keep it together and “broke down into tears. He had a hard time, obviously, speaking and then he came back up and he delivered an amazing eulogy.” Trujillo described how it was raining at the beginning of the service and then the weather changed a few times during the memorial and then again when daughter Kelly Osbourne was singing a tribute to her dad.

“Her lyrics flew, like the wind blew her lyrics away, it was almost like Ozzy was having fun with her,” he said. And then, when Butler got up to speak, Trujillo said the sun suddenly popped out. “I’m not kidding. The sun actually came out and then it was beautiful from that moment on, a very magical moment.”

And though it was sad to say goodbye, Trujillo described the joy attendees took in sharing their Ozzy stories. “And all of a sudden, there was laughter, and ‘I remember this’, ‘I remember that’. There were so many stories,” he said. “So it felt like there was a closure from this. And I’m glad that we went — my wife Chloe and I went — and shared that and were able to have that moment with the family and everything. So it was very beautiful. And again, heartfelt words from so many people and kind of reconnecting with different musicians and bandmates, crew members, all that.”

Metallica performed at Back to the Beginning, performing covers of Black Sabbath’s “Hole in the Sky” and “Johnny Blade” along with their own “Creeping Death,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Battery” and “Master of Puppets.” They joined a roster of bands paying tribute to Ozzy and Sabbath that included Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon and many more.

Trujillo said after their set, Ozzy’s wife/manager Sharon Osbourne grabbed him in the hallway backstage and asked him to come visit with Osbourne. “I went in there and he was sitting in the wheelchair and I said, ‘Ozzy, incredible, I am so proud of you. You were amazing and this means to much to all of us, this means so much to the world,’” Trujillo told him. Ozzy thanked Trujillo and asked if he could see Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield for a moment.

So Trujillo brought Hetfield over and described how the band leader, “got on one knee and basically held Ozzy’s hand and it was so heavy. It was the moment… it was almost like he was saying goodbye to Ozzy in some ways and it was from the heart. It was heartfelt. It was a powerful moment.”

Tearing up as he recounted the scene, Trujillo said he had to leave the room as he was overcome with emotion during a moment he described as a “passing of the torch.” The private funeral at Ozzy and wife/manager Sharon’s private estate in Buckinghamshire came after a public funeral procession through Ozzy’s hometown of Birmingham.

Listen to Trujillo describe Osbourne’s funeral below.

Jelly Roll is giving Australian fans another chance to see him live, with a second Melbourne date added to his Down Under 2025 Tour due to overwhelming demand.

The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum singer-songwriter will now play Rod Laver Arena on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, before heading to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Nov. 4 and wrapping in Auckland at The Outer Fields at Western Springs on Nov. 8. Along the way, he’ll also top the bill at the inaugural Strummingbird Festival, with stops on the Sunshine Coast (Oct. 25), Newcastle (Nov. 1) and Perth (Nov. 2). An Adelaide date is set for Oct. 26.

Joining the Tennessee native on all headline dates are breakout star Shaboozey, who last year spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” marking just the second time an independent release had achieved that milestone, and rising country talent Drew Baldridge, whose viral hit “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” became the highest-charting self-funded track ever on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

Jelly Roll first detailed his forthcoming trek down to Australia on July 31, with the nascent Strummingbird Festival announcing they had secured both Jelly Roll and Shaboozey for the headliners of their inaugural 2025 events.

The three-date affair plans to visit the Sunshine Coast at the end of October, with a pair of dates scheduled across Newcastle and Perth at the start of November. A raft of local and international acts are also set to fill out the festival’s lineup.

The tour comes just months after the arrival of the collaborative single “Amen,” though no confirmation has been given as to whether the pair may perform the track together when in Australia or New Zealand. 

Jelly Roll — The Down Under 2025 Tour
Australia & New Zealand
With Shaboozey and Drew Baldridge
Presented by Live Nation

Tickets and VIP packages are available via livenation.com.au and livenation.co.nz. Strummingbird Festival tickets are on sale now via strummingbird.com.au.