OUR FRIENDS FROM ROYEL OTIS (AKA OTIS PAVLOVIC AND LEROY MADDEL) ARE JOINING THE RANKS OF SYDNEYS FRESHEST NEW MUSICIANS, A DUO CAPTURING A LOOSELY PUNK BUT CHILL, SUNLIT LOVESICK SOUND. DR SAT DOWN WITH THE UP AND COMERS TO CHAT ABOUT SYNERGY IN COLLABORATION, NYC CREATIVE INFLUENCE, GUILTY PLEASURES AND 2022 MANIFESTATIONS!

PEEP THIS PROM NIGHT PLAYLIST ROYEL OTIS WHIPPED UP FOR THE DR TEAM: 

HOW DID YOU GET HERE?

DRUNK LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. NAH, SHEER CHANCE REALLY.

WE MET ON A DRUNKEN NIGHT OUT. I (OTIS) WALKED INTO A BAR IN BONDI AND KNEW ROY WAS UP AND COMING IN THE MUSIC BIZ SO I ASKED IF HE WOULD CHECK OUT A SONG BY WHICH HE HESITANTLY SAID YES TOO (I COULD TELL HE WASN’T SERIOUS). THE NEXT DAY I WAS SHOWERING, (ROY) AND THOUGHT I’D HAVE A LAUGH AND GIVE HIS SONG A LISTEN AND TURNS OUT I REALLY LIKED MY VOICE, I THOUGHT IT WAS PERFECT FOR ALL THIS STUFF I HAD BEEN WRITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE. SO I HIT HIM UP AND WE STARTED RECORDING TOGETHER, A COUPLE LABELS HIT US UP AND WE WENT WITH OURNESS.

 

WHAT OR WHO IS ROYEL OTIS?

 A COMING OF AGE FILM ABOUT AN IDIOT, A STUPID YOUNG BOY.

GROWING UP IN AUS, DOES AUSSIE MUSIC HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOUR MUSIC MAKING ? ROY, IS THERE A HINT OF NY IN THERE? WHERE DO YOU PULL INFLUENCE FROM?

NO AUSTRALIAN BANDS COME TO MIND BUT COASTY SURF MUSIC DEFINITELY INFLUENCES US. NYC IS ALSO DEFINITELY AN INFLUENCE IN TERMS OF INSPIRING INCESSANT CREATIVITY, BEING IN THAT SPACE WHERE EVERYONE IS DRIVEN, EVERYONE IS PURSUING THEIR PROJECTS WITH LITTLE TO NO RESOURCES. EVERYONE IS GETTING BY BUT STILL MAKING THEIR PROJECTS HAPPEN, ITS REALLY INSPIRING.

NY IS ALSO COOL BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOUR GOING TO MEET, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, I MET BEYONCE IN MY UNDERWEAR.

COLLABORATION REQUIRES A SYNERGY BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES, WHICH YOUR DUO CLEARLY POSSESS, WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’VE LEARNT ABOUT THE PROCESS OF COLLABORATION?

TRUST. THERE NEEDS TO BE TRUST.

BEING ABLE TO THROW YOUR IDEAS OUT AND KNOWING THEY AREN’T ALWAYS GOING TO BE GOOD, BUT LEANING IN TO THE VULNERABILITY AND JUST TRUSTING THAT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE GOOD JUDGMENTS FOR EACH OTHER AND EACH OTHER’S POTENTIAL WILL PULL THROUGH.

YOUR MUSIC IS ASSOCIATED WITH A RANGE OF GENRES - IT CAN’T BE PINNED DOWN TO ONE -  IT’S GOT AN INDIE LEANING PALETTE WITH A YOUTHFULNESS AND IS ALSO INTERTWINED WITH AN 80’S SURF ROCK AURA. WHAT OR WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH?

 I MEAN IDEALLY WE’D LIKE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH MGMT, DAFT PUNK AND FRANK OCEAN. HE’S SMART AND TASTEFUL.

ULTIMATE LIP SYNC TRACK?

ROY - SOMEONE LIKE YOU, ADELE.

OTIS - I WANT YOU BACK, THE JACKSON 5.

GUILTY PLEASURES ?

COLD PLAY.

WHAT DOES THE WORD ESCAPE... FEEL LIKE?

ESCAPE FEELS LIKE A BUCKET OF ICE TO THE HEAD ON A STEAMY AFTERNOON!

WHILE THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY IS BACK OPEN AGAIN (YAY), DID ANYTHING POSITIVE COME OUT OF THE PANDEMIC?

TIME TO MAKE MUSIC!

2022 MANIFESTATIONS? 

TRAVEL. FOR MUSIC OR NOT, IT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE IF WE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE SUPPORTING ACT FOR AN INTERNATIONAL TOUR.

WHAT IS OVER THE 2022 RAINBOUU FOR YOU? ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS WE CAN KNOW ABOUT? 

A NEW EP! ITS WAY MORE PUNK AND FRESH AND NOT SO SERIOUS OR LOVE SICK!