Condemned drug trafficker Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, who is a musician himself, wanted hip-hop artiste Kidd Santhe to produce a song about trauma, loneliness, forgiveness and hope which he had penned while at Changi Prison.
Kidd Santhe said he, in turn, invited singer DJ Dave to team up with him “because a legend like him with an upbeat public persona and love for humanity will add more value to this effort.”
Both hitmakers are opposed to capital punishment and it’s not often that such stylistically divergent artists are drawn to the same topic at the same moment.
Dave, 74, and Kidd Santhe, 26, emphasised that they weren’t concerned about the confines and perceptions around music genres and were excited about making “Di Sebalik Pintu Besi” (Behind iron bars) a novel tune.
They were spurred to join hands by a sense of urgency surrounding the 34-year-old Pannir’s impending execution.
Ipoh-born Pannir turned lyricist when he was sentenced to death for trafficking in heroin in May 2017 and “Di Sebalik Pintu Besi” is his third effort, and probably his last.
Last year, he got a stay of execution hours before he was to be hanged on May 24, allowing him time for a clemency challenge.
Kidd Santhe (Parssanth Navaratnam) said he was about to quit the music scene and go fulltime with his father’s blockchain-powered videostreaming project, when the song came his way.
He said he recently received an email from Pannir’s younger sister, Angelia, inviting him to fulfil her brother’s wish for him to produce and perform “Di Sebalik Pintu Besi”.
Pannir had passed the handwritten lyrics to Angelia in prison last July and the siblings have not met since then due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“Every now and then something comes along that will make a difference and this was one of those,” said Kidd Santhe, whose international hit, “Haa Tepok”, which he co-produced, mixed and mastered, garnered over 100 million views across all streaming platforms.
He said since the lyrics of “Di Sebalik Pintu Besi” were also meant to spark discussion about the death penalty, Dave’s role as an influencer was invaluable.
Dave said: “We don’t want to make it a dark, lonely song but an upbeat one that encourages mercy and gives death row inmates love and light.
The song, which is also aimed at pushing the campaign by human rights activists to abolish the death penalty in Malaysia and Singapore, will also feature pastor Prince John along with a church choir.
John is the vice-president of non-profit Sebaran Kasih, which is helmed by Angelia to assist families whose loved ones are imprisoned or on death row.
Angelia, 27, thanked Dave and Kidd Santhe for their “generous participation” and said she was looking for sponsors for the production of the song, the proceeds from which will benefit Sebaran Kasih which she founded in 2020.
She said the idea for the NGO came from Pannir to raise awareness about the cruelty of the death penalty as well as to launch a fight to spare his life.
Angelia, an insurance agent, said her brother has written several socially conscious lyrics since his imprisonment and two notable songs, “Arah Tuju” and “Bukan Sekadar Hikayat” featuring music makers Santesh Kumar and Saint TFC respectively.