Kenny and Carl Papenfus

KENNY + CARL PAPENFUS

SONGWRITERS | PRODUCERS | ARTIST DEVELOPMENT / A&R | RIGHTS & ARTIST MANAGEMENT

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UK/Ireland    •    Kenny +44 7916 178596    •    Carl +44 7751 527432

kenny@67management.com    •    carl@67management.com  

 

 

“I heard that band Relish recently... I was just blown away by them... their songwriting is so great. Amazing.”

— Larry Mullen (U2)    

“Yes!! I love it... at last a group from this side of the Atlantic that know what they’re doing! The guy has a voice to die for and the group sound superb.”

— Brian May (Queen)

 

 

PROFILE

Brothers raised in Northern Ireland by South African parents, Kenny and Carl Papenfus have built an international career across songwriting, record production, artist development, management, rights, live performance and broadcast. Their experience is unusual in its breadth: they have been major-label artists themselves, written a UK Top 5 hit for Westlife, produced and recorded with Sinéad O’Connor, co-written for film, managed global artist careers, discovered and developed new talent into label deals, and worked as high-level session and television musicians. The common thread is a practical understanding of how songs, artists and rights move from creative idea to commercial outcome.

 

 

SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• UK Top 5 songwriting: Co-writers of “Rainbow Zephyr”, adapted and released by Westlife as “Hey Whatever” - No. 4 UK Singles Chart and a major international publishing success.

• Sinéad O’Connor: Global managers from 2019-2023; producers / vocal producers across key late-career recordings and screen projects, including Outlander, Wild Mountain Thyme and Blackbird; negotiated her final recording agreement with Chrysalis Records.

• Relish / EMI Records: Two charting albums - Wildflowers (Platinum) and Karma Calling (Gold) - with UK BBC Radio 2 A-list support, Irish Top 10 singles and No. 1 international airplay in Japan.

• Film & television: Co-writers and performers on the soundtrack to the Golden Globe-nominated film Sing Street; original music placements in Sony PlayStation 2 advertising, Intermission, The Long Weekend and major UK television.

• Production: Produced and engineered Sinéad O’Connor’s contribution to God Don’t Never Change: The Songs of Blind Willie Johnson, a two-time Grammy-nominated project; additional production / arranging credits include Outlander, Wild Mountain Thyme, Blackbird, Van Morrison tribute projects and charity releases for Universal Music Ireland.

• Artist development / A&R: Discovered and developed Rowan Murphy into a global Nettwerk Music Group signing; discovered, developed and managed Merva into a Warner Music Group deal.

• Broadcast & sessions: House-band musicians on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show; selected session work includes Paul Weller, Paul Brady, The Answer, Juno Falls, Lesley Roy and Hal.

 

 

SONGWRITING & PUBLISHING

“HEY WHATEVER” - WESTLIFE (Syco / BMG)  |  Original songwriters

Written by Kenny and Carl as “Rainbow Zephyr” and adapted for Westlife. The single reached No. 4 in the UK and became one of the brothers’ most commercially significant publishing successes.

RELISH CATALOGUE  |  Songwriters / artists / producers

Two EMI albums, Wildflowers and Karma Calling, with Platinum and Gold status in Ireland, Top 10 singles, national A-list airplay, BBC Radio 2 A-list support and major international radio success in Japan.

SING STREET  |  Co-writers / soundtrack performers

Contributed original writing and performances to the soundtrack of John Carney’s Golden Globe-nominated film, which later developed into a stage musical.

MARILYN BANE  |  Songwriters / producers

Wrote and produced a mini-album for the You’re A Star runner-up; the resulting catalogue was subsequently acquired by Sony Music Publishing.

Selected Sync & Screen Placements

• Sony PlayStation 2: “Everyday’s Precious” selected for a UK / European advertising campaign.

• The Long Weekend: “Karma Calling” featured in the Hollywood feature film.

• Intermission: “Get Down, Move Over” featured in the IFC / BFI film starring Colin Farrell.

• UK television: Relish songs placed across EastEnders, Coronation Street, This Morning and other broadcast programming.

 

 

RECORD PRODUCTION & SCREEN MUSIC

OUTLANDER - SEASON 7 (Sony Pictures Television)  |  Co-production / vocal production

Worked with composer Bear McCreary on Sinéad O’Connor’s version of “The Skye Boat Song” for the Season 7 title sequence - a distinctive reworking of one of television’s most recognisable themes.

WILD MOUNTAIN THYME  |  Vocal producers

Vocal production for Sinéad O’Connor on “I’ll Be Singing”, written by Amelia Warner and John Patrick Shanley and nominated for Best Original Song - Independent Film at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

BLACKBIRD  |  Producers / arrangers

Produced and arranged Sinéad O’Connor’s “Mo Ghile Mear (The Gallant Hero)”, released as the final studio recording of her career.

GOD DON’T NEVER CHANGE: THE SONGS OF BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON (Alligator Records)  |  Producers / engineers

Produced and engineered Sinéad O’Connor’s contribution to the project. God Don’t Never Change received two Grammy nominations: Best Roots Gospel Album, and Best American Roots Performance for The Blind Boys of Alabama’s “Mother’s Children Have a Hard Time”. The recording sessions were profiled by The New Yorker.

RAVE ON, VAN MORRISON (Hot Press)  |  Producers / arrangers

Produced and arranged “Who Was That Masked Man” for the Van Morrison 75th-birthday project, selected for the closing broadcast sequence.

SALVATION: INSPIRED BY THE CRANBERRIES (Universal Music Ireland)  |  Producers

Produced “No Need to Argue” for the RTÉ 2FM / Universal charity compilation in support of Pieta.

 

 

ARTIST MANAGEMENT, DEVELOPMENT & A&R

67 Management - Co-founders

Independent artist-management and rights-management company working across artist strategy, labels, publishing, touring, recording, catalogue, contracts and international partnerships.

SINÉAD O’CONNOR (2019-2023)  |  Global management

Managed the final chapter of her career across recording, live, media, catalogue and rights strategy. The period included her widely discussed return performance on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, the publication of memoir Rememberings, and negotiation of her final global recording agreement with Chrysalis Records.

ROWAN MURPHY  |  Discovery / development / management

Identified and developed the artist from an early stage and negotiated a global signing with Nettwerk Music Group.

MENRVA  |  Discovery / development / management

Discovered, developed and managed the artist through to a major-label signing with Warner Music Group.

Commercial & Rights Capability

• Label negotiations: Major recording agreements, international licensing, distribution and catalogue strategy across independent and major-label environments.

• Publishing: Songwriter perspective combined with publishing administration, catalogue valuation awareness and rights negotiation; current global administration relationship with BMG.

• Artist development: Hands-on creative development - repertoire, arrangement, recording, performance, positioning and team-building - combined with commercial deal execution.

• Owned-label experience: High Altitude Recordings has partnered with INgrooves / Universal for distribution and marketing, providing first-hand experience of operating both sides of the artist-label relationship.

 

 

BROADCAST, SESSION & MUSICAL DIRECTION

RTÉ - THE LATE LATE SHOW  |  House-band musicians / arrangers

Core live television musicians on Ireland’s longest-running chat show, providing arrangements and accompaniment for international guests including Michael Bublé, Take That, Rick Astley and James Blunt, alongside high-pressure live broadcast cues and performance segments.

PAUL WELLER - KENNY PAPENFUS  |  Guitar / live & television sessions

Hired for live and television performances across the UK and Ireland and featured on the Studio 150 live DVD release (V2 Records).

THE ANSWER - CARL PAPENFUS  |  Session drums

Session drummer for the Albert Productions rock act, alongside a wider studio portfolio spanning major and independent labels.

SELECTED CARL PAPENFUS SESSIONS  |  Drums

Paul Brady; Juno Falls (V2); Lesley Roy (Jive); Hal (Rough Trade); The Answer (Albert Productions).

PLAYERS LOUNGE - FROM THE SIX CORNERS (Sanctuary Records)  |  Co-writers / guitar / drums

Collaborative recording project with Steve White and Damon Minchella, the rhythm section associated with Paul Weller.

RELISH - MAJOR LABEL ARTIST TRACK RECORD

Before moving more deeply into production, management and rights, Kenny and Carl built their careers as the songwriting core of Relish. That artist experience underpins their approach to A&R and development: they understand the creative, commercial and psychological realities from the artist side as well as the executive side.

WILDFLOWERS - EMI IRELAND

• No. 6 Irish album chart

• Platinum status

• 1 Top 10 + 2 Top 20 singles

• National A-list airplay

• BBC Radio 2 A-list

• Japan: No. 1 international / No. 2 national airplay    KARMA CALLING - EMI IRELAND

• No. 8 Irish album chart

• Gold status

• 1 Top 10 + 1 Top 20 single

• National A-list airplay

• Produced by Al Clay and Papenfus / Papenfus

Live & International

• U2 - Slane Castle: Selected as guest performers at one of Ireland’s landmark live events.

• Touring: UK / European touring and guest appearances with Stereophonics, Paul Weller, Kelis, Ash, Ocean Colour Scene and others.

• Festivals: Summer Sonic (Japan), Oxygen, V Festival, T in the Park and major Irish festival stages.

 

 

SELECTED INDUSTRY RELATIONSHIPS

Career-long work across EMI Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Pictures Television, Sony Music Publishing, BMG, Warner Music Group, Nettwerk Music Group, Chrysalis Records, INgrooves, PIAS, Heavenly Recordings, ITB and ICM Partners.

 

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INSTRUMENT & ARTIST ENDORSEMENTS

Kenny: Lowden Guitars, Avalon Guitars, Vox, Mesa Boogie, Gibson, Apogee.  |  Carl: Ludwig Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Avalon Guitars, Roland, Apogee.