Ex-Sony boss Denis Handlin seen at Kid Laroi gig with son Pat and Samantha Jade

Just under a year after leaving Sony Music Australia, former boss Denis Handlin has emerged for the first time to watch the Kid Laroi concert over the weekend.

Former Sony Music Australia boss Denis Handlin has stepped back into the Aussie music scene for the first time, nearly a year after going into self-imposed exile.

Handlin’s former label executive son Pat and Pat’s pop star fiancee Samantha Jade were spotted with the ousted music executive at the Kid Laroi concert at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday night.

His attendance has caused much industry chatter because it is the first time Handlin has been seen publicly since he was ousted from the company he drove for more than 50 years.

Laroi, whose real name is Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, was one of Handlin’s key signings as head of Sony Music Australia.

Despite his sacking, Handlin has continued to mentor and consult the family, particularly Laroi’s mother Sloane Howard.

Former Sony Music boss Denis Handlin has not been seen since he stepped down from his position last year. Picture: Justin Lloyd

The Kid Laroi flanked by security as he heads for a Sydney Harbour cruise (left) and (right) Pat Handlin and Samantha Jade board the boat. Pictures: MEDIA-MODE

The Handlin party watched Friday night’s gig in one of the singer’s corporate suites, and on Saturday evening boarded a private harbour cruise with Laroi and his entourage to check out the sights of Vivid Sydney.

The four-hour charter cruise is believed to have cost about $30,000.

Handlin, who is in his 70s, left Sony suddenly in June 2021, and subsequently lost his position as chairman of the Australian Recording Industry Association, amid allegations of a “toxic’’ culture under his leadership.

Handlin has denied any wrongdoing.