Aussie Band Apologizes for Misogynistic Single Criticism

An Australian indie rock band has been forced to apologise after fans slammed their latest single.

Royel Otis, a guitar-pop duo consisting of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, released their latest song Moody earlier this month.

Despite the track being the strongest performing release to date, many have accused the band of using ‘misogynistic’ lyrics.

The song, which was co-written by Grammy award winner Amy Allen, has sparked considerable backlash online for its use of the word ‘b***h’.

A line from the single reads: ‘She’s always givin’ it to me. Late nights, she always accusin’. Last time, she said she would kill me. My girl’s a b***h when she’s moody’. 

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An Instagram post announcing the single was met with a flurry of comments from fans, with many taking umbrage with the lyrics.

‘Has anyone actually listened to these lyrics?’ one fan asked. 

‘Who let them think this was chill.’

Another offered: ‘Otis nah releasing a song with lyrics like this during a femicide epidemic is crazy. 

‘Imagine talking bout your sis like this. Shame. It’s just cheap af not cute. Whole team should have a think about this.’

A third chimed in with: ‘Multimillion $ record deal, 1 of the biggest platforms in aus music, & this is what you decide to contribute. Shame on you.”

It wasn’t all negative though, with many jumping in to defend the band and refuting the claims of misogyny. 

‘Blimey… can I just say I’m a woman and this song did not offend me in any way whatsoever,’ one supportive fan wrote.

‘Using the word misogyny is VERY strong when there are artists out there who talk about women AND men like they want a prison sentence.’ 

Another added: ‘To say this is misogynistic is reaching.’

An unnamed former school friend of Otis’ even weighed in on the drama, accusing the band of contributing to a culture that ‘devalues women’.

‘In 2025, it’s disheartening to hear a local Australian artist- someone I know or I knew- casually refer to women as “b***hes” in their lyrics,’ they told news.com.au.

‘When artists use their platforms to propagate harmful language, they contribute to a culture that devalues women and hinders progress toward equality and safety. It’s so important that we hold creators accountable and demand more responsible representation.’

In a response provided to the publication by Kay and Hughes Art and Entertainment Lawyers on behalf of Roel Otis, the band apologised for any offence caused. 

‘Moody has been Royel Otis’ highest performing release in the first two weeks globally both digitally and on radio,’ they said.

‘This song is written from a specific perspective, it is not intended to convey a broader view or standpoint about women in general.

‘We apologise if anyone understood those lyrics otherwise.’

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to the band’s management for further comment.   

Royel Otis went viral for covering Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s disco-pop classic ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ for Triple J’s famous cover series Like a Version – which received over 50million Spotify streams.

The duo later performed a stripped-back cover of the Cranberries’ ballad Linger for SiriusXM, which racked up over 82million streams.

They received eight ARIA nominations in 2024, including album of the year, song of the year, best rock album, and best group.

Otis is the son of multi-millionaire beauty mogul Carla Oates who owns The Beauty Chef – which is a range of probiotic powders, products and elixirs.

Oates shared a photo of the duo recently gushing over her son’s success.

‘So proud of my beautiful boy. Not just because he works so hard to make great art that brings joy to so many people and is so clever, but because he is such a kind, generous and sweet human.

‘Loved spending time with you in LA,’ she wrote.