Convicts thrill to melodies of freedom

BAD Luck, Free Like the Wind, and Waltz of the Prisoner were top crowd pleasers as convicts faced off at a prison in Lima to sing in the Peruvian underworld’s version of the popular TV show American Idol.

Augusto Flores won first prize for a song he wrote called Your Visit, about waiting for news from his family and friends.

He won a guitar, a trophy and a pair of shoes. Winners of American Idol competitions, which gives ordinary people a chance at stardom, win recording contracts and global fame.

Not all of the contestants made it to the finals of the Melodies of Freedom competition, billed as a settling of scores between a dozen convicts from prisons across Peru’s biggest city.

Juan Jose Gutierrez, under house arrest after being released on parole, sent in a choppy music video. Promoters jazzed it up by flanking the screen with psychedelic lights and a smoke machine.

Others said they were just happy to be there.

“This is like a day of freedom,” Javier Casal, who sang an original song called Freedom, said. “And that’s the best prize we can get.”