Mika Salamanca marked a major career milestone as she officially launched her debut album, Mahika, at the SM North Sky Dome on Saturday, May 30.
The event drew some of her closest friends in the industry, including content creator Benedict Cua and fellow influencer Zeinab Harake.
Her Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition housemates Xyriel Manabat, Josh Ford, and Will Ashley were also in attendance.
Star Music artists Sofi Fermazi and Zion Aguirre also took the stage at the event, performing as pre-show acts.
Mika opened her set with Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic” before closing the night with “A Million Dreams,” a song she revealed was personally requested by her grandmother.
She also performed a duet of Rivermaya’s classic “Himala” alongside Klarisse de Guzman.
Among the album’s tracks, Mika singled out “Bilog ang Mundo” as one of her personal favorites, dedicating it to her fans who have supported her since the beginning.
The launch was also attended by her fanbase groups Mikanisms, MikBrent, and MikWil.
In a backstage interview before her performance, Mika expressed that while she always believed she would release an album someday, the reality of the moment caught her off guard.
“Sobrang saya ko kasi parang I always knew talaga na maglalabas ako ng album. Pero hindi ko inaasahan na sa ganitong paraan ko siya mailalabas sa Star Music – na hands-on, talagang pinag-isipan. Talagang galing sa puso,” she said.
She added that having a full album launch felt almost surreal.
“Talagang sinasabi ko nga sa sarili, ’Deserve ko ba ‘to?’ for a first-ever album launch. And sobrang saya ko na may nagtatangkilik na mga tao.”
In the same interview, Mika was asked whether she was open to collaborating with Will Ashley in the future, including on a potential music video for one of the album’s songs.
"Hindi po ako nagku-close ng door sa kung ano pong magiging opportunity para sa akin at para sa ibang tao na makakasama ko. I think everything has an opportunity if it’s coming from a good heart,” she said.
Mika and Will have drawn attention as a potential love team after photos of them together on several occasions caught netizens' interest.
In particular, photos of the two vacationing in Thailand have captured the hearts of their fans. Their fandom, called MikWil, has since grown even stronger.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: Mika Salamanca reveals how she learned to handle bashers: ‘I’m self-secure’
Mika Salamanca first gained widespread attention as a fan favorite on Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition, where her personality won over both housemates and viewers.
She has since signed with Star Music, building her following through her music and social media presence.
Will Ashley, a fellow PBB housemate from the same season, has also grown a substantial fanbase of his own.
In 2025, she dropped the single “What If Tayo?” with Brent Manalo. By then, she had already built momentum the previous year, appearing on fan-powered charts and accumulating streams across digital platforms. Together, Mika and Brent are known as MikBrent.
Mika Salamanca’s Mahika is now streaming on all major digital music platforms. Lyric videos for the album’s tracks are available on Star Music’s official YouTube channel
—By Paolo Lim