Singer-songwriter Isha Ponti marked her 20th birthday at Viva Café over the weekend with the launch of her debut album “Likas,” a ten-track project she fully wrote herself, something she described simply as “very personal” and “a huge milestone.”

The album, whose title stands for “Longing, Illusion, Kindness, Acceptance and Self-Love,” was presented as a continuous story rather than a standard setlist.

She opened the show with “Darating,” then moved through “Kabanata,” “Numero,” “Hinga,” “Halika,” “Gulong,” and the English tracks “Warmth” and “Riversky,” tracing the album’s arc of heartbreak, reflection, and acceptance.

Onstage, Ponti was composed and steady, even while admitting, “Hindi lang halata pero kabado ako.”

She also slipped in covers including Lola Amour’s “Raining in Manila,” Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” Janine Berdin’s “What If I Miss You for the Rest of My Life,” and Ben&Ben’s “Leaves,” which she said were chosen deliberately: “All the cover songs were related pa rin sa theme ng album.”

At the center of “Likas” is “Kabanata,” written after her first heartbreak.

The album ultimately lands on self-acceptance. “I realized myself is enough,” she said. “The love that I longed for at the start of this story had long been with me.”

A surprise appearance from singer-actor Kelvin Miranda added a loose, warm moment to the night as he joined her for “Mabagal” and performed “Waiting in Vain.”

For Ponti, “Likas” feels like both closure and release. “I want to rest from love. Nothing romantic for me at the moment,” she said even as she already has nearly 30 songs written for whatever comes next.