For Asia’s Pop Sweetheart Isha Ponti, songwriting has never been just a craft. It is a deeply personal act of storytelling, memory-keeping, and emotional honesty. At 19, she speaks with the quiet certainty of an artist who understands that music becomes meaningful only when it resonates beyond the self.

“Songwriting is like storytelling. The lyrics, the sounds, they carry emotions. When you mix it all together, you create a whole story that people can feel,” Isha shared during the media conference for her newest Christmas single, Wala Ka Sa Pasko. And for listeners who hear their own heartbreaks and holiday longings reflected in her music, that connection is exactly the point. “That’s the goal, for people to interpret it in their own way and feel something real.”

A Christmas ballad rooted in yearning

Her latest release, Wala Ka Sa Pasko, is a tender ballad about love, longing, and the quiet loneliness that sometimes shadows the season. Despite her youth, Isha captures the nuanced emotions of missing someone during the merriest time of the year, a theme inspired by a feeling that came to her instinctively.

“It came naturally. The emotions were just there. I wanted to tell a story that felt real, ‘yung tipong Pasko pero may kulang,” she said.

The song also marks a personal milestone. It fulfilled a wish from her parents, who had long encouraged her to write a Christmas piece. When she finally played it for them, her mother cried. “‘Wala Ka Sa Pasko’ is a heartfelt Christmas ballad… my mom cried,” she recalled, still humbled that her music moved the person who inspired her earliest dreams.

At just 19, Isha has already written 24 original songs, a testament to her intuitive gift and relentless creativity.

A new generation steps into the spotlight: 'The Next Ones'

Isha’s growing catalogue of emotionally charged music will soon take centerstage in The Next Ones, a joint concert with Bossa Nova Princess Andrea Gutierrez happening on December 13, 2025, at the Music Museum.

For the first time, the two young artists, long admired as reliable front acts, will be stepping into the spotlight not as supporting performers but as full-fledged headliners. The concert, featuring 17 songs and special guests including OPM icon Rey Valera, marks a defining moment in their careers.

“We started as front acts. Now we get to showcase who we really are as artists,” Isha said, explaining that the concert title symbolizes a collective declaration of arrival. “We choose the title because it’s like a declaration that we are here and we want to be heard.”

Director Calvin Neria described the show as a celebration of musical diversity, passion, and youthful artistry. Working with Isha and Andrea under the musical direction of Adonis Tabanda, he said, was “a breeze.”

“Hindi ako nahirapan. ‘Pag gusto, react agad. ‘Pag tentative, hindi gusto, pinapalitan agad.”

For Isha, the concert is not just an artistic milestone. It is a chance to open doors.

“It’s our chance to pave the way, not just for us, but for other artists like us who keep chasing the dream.”

Embracing the title 'The Next Ones'

When asked if they have fully embraced the label “The Next Ones,” Isha offered a thoughtful perspective.

“I wasn’t thinking I’m the next one. It was more of we’re the next ones. It feels like it’s our time to represent OPM in our own way, bossa nova, P-pop, OPM ballads, retro, even Elvis Presley style influences.”

Andrea admitted that the title still feels overwhelming.

“Nakatatakot po… Until now hindi pa siya nagsi-sink in.”

Without a breakout hit of their own yet, both artists confessed they sometimes struggle to feel worthy of the label.

But Isha, grounded as ever, reframed the idea with maturity beyond her years.

“Normal lang na feeling mo hindi ka pa nandoon if you don’t have that third or breakthrough song. Pero I feel we’re the next ones because we represent the new generation of music. This is a new era, we’ve always looked up to OPM icons. Now we’re trying to follow in their footsteps.”

The next ones and the new era they represent

As Isha Ponti ushers in the holiday season with Wala Ka Sa Pasko and prepares to take the Music Museum stage, she stands as a powerful reminder of what the future of OPM looks like. Young, fearless, emotionally attuned, and brimming with stories only they can tell.

She and Andrea Gutierrez may still be shaping their sound and awaiting the one song that will break the dam wide open, but the path they are carving is unmistakably their own.

And if this new Christmas ballad is any indication, Isha Ponti is no longer just a rising star. She is becoming the storyteller her generation has been waiting for.