Jaehwa Bernardo

Singer-songwriter Isha Ponti. Photo by Leah Salterio

Article (news)

Singer Isha Ponti holds debut concert

Leah C. Salterio

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782015518655IMG_4383.jpeg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="633" alt="Singer-songwriter Isha Ponti. Photos by Leah Salterio"/>Singer-songwriter Isha Ponti. Photos by Leah Salterio</div>When young singer-songwriter Elisha Pontanares, Isha Ponti for short, turned 20 only last weekend, she made sure she accomplish an enviable feat in her singing career. That is to stage a major concert and launch her ten-track debut album, “Likas,” which admirably contains her original compositions.Asked before she mounted the stage at Viva Café how she was feeling that night, Ponti said she was “very excited” to bare her first studio album. She wanted to see the reactions of her audience when they heard her story.She rendered all the ten tracks in her album under Ponti Entertainment Productions, starting with the love song, “Kabanata,” which she wrote two years ago when she met her first love. To most teenagers, that was really unforgettable.“That was when all those things started,” Ponti told ABS-CBN News. “I had a heartbreak. But despite all the things that happened, I still chose to be kind and moved on with my life.”She admitted to getting mad a herself when her relationship did not work out. “I realized I wasn’t giving importance to myself, but to other people around me,” she pointed out. “I guess that’s what really happens when a Gemini falls in love.”She apparently, vowed to rest her heart after undergoing a heartbreak. “I’ve been through quite a lot last year,” Ponti said. “I want to rest from love. Nothing romantic for me at the moment.”The night was a moment of music and dancing. “All the cover songs that I’m singing is related to the album,” explained Ponti. “So this album, this is not just a random playlist. I’m telling a story from start to end. I will tell my story in the narrative that the audience will hear. The audience will find that out during the show.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782015597034IMG_4388.jpeg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="633" alt="Isha with special guest and good friend Kelvin Miranda"/>Isha with special guest and good friend Kelvin Miranda</div>The “Likas” album, actually an acronym for “Longing, Illusion, Kindness, Acceptance and Self-Love,” is one of Ponti’s stepping stones in her career. “It’s a milestone,” she said. “Yet this is not immediately a fulfillment. This is just my first album. I know I still have to go through a lot of things. I still have a lot of drafts stored in my computer.”She actually has an alternative song for the carrier track, “Kabanata,” which is also part of the album. The song is called “Bakas,” the sad part of the story.The last song Ponti wrote for the album, which she finished in November last year, was “Darating,” which she opened the concert with. The first song in the story of her album.She even did music videos for “Dyahe,” “Kabanata” and “Mismo.”The other tracks in the “Likas” album that cater to all genres and made it to Ponti’s set list were “Numero,” “Hinga,” “Halika,” “Gulong” and two English cuts – “Warmth” and “Riversky.”Aside from singing all the ten tracks in her “Likas” album, Ponti also did covers of Lola Amour’s “Raining in Manila,” an Olivia Dean medley, Janine Berdin’s “What If I Miss You for the Rest of My Life” and even Ben&amp;Ben’s hauntingly sentimental “Leaves.”After “Likas,” Ponti still has enough songs to proudly make her second album. She has actually penned close to 30 songs to date. Musical director of the album and the concert is Adonis Tabanda.Ponti just wished “good health” for herself on her 20th birthday. She handled the program flow of her album launch, did the LEDs, edited the music videos.“Because of my schedules lately, I haven’t been gotten enough sleep,” said the freshman Multi-Media Arts student from Enderun College. “My schedule got a little hectic, but I still enjoyed doing everything.“I learned something more important throughout this journey,” Ponti declared. “I realized myself is enough. The love that I longed for at the start of this story, had long been with me. It’s just there. If there’s someone whom I don’t have to leave behind, that’s me.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782015623175IMG_4392.jpeg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="633" alt="Isha and Kelvin"/>Isha and Kelvin</div>Surprise guest for the night was singer-actor Kelvin Miranda, Ponti’s good friend who came all the way from two provincial gigs in Davao and Cotabato. They rendered together the ballad, “Mabagal,” which they also previously recorded.Kelvin also did a spot number of Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain.”Ponti’s album undeniably signifies her personal growth. Every track has an element that symbolizes personal growth and she cannot be thankful enough the album now sees its fruition.Ponti’s parents – Alvin and Emeelette Pontanares – have tirelessly supported her music venture every step of the way. They even helped her put up Ponti Entertainment Productions for her musical pursuits. Her siblings – Marc Alvin, Selena and Sofia – have also been behind her in every activity she ventured in. So how can she go wrong in everything she pursues?The full-house, SRO Viva Café not just saw Ponti’s immediate family and relatives, but also the entertainment media, Ponti’s classmates at Enderun, close friends and other personalities who supported her.

When young singer-songwriter Isha Ponti turned 20 only last weekend, she made sure she accomplish an enviable feat in her singing career.

When young singer-songwriter Isha Ponti turned 20 only last weekend, she made sure she accomplish an enviable feat in her singing career.