Meaning she will not sing Top 40 but those that she feels people ought to hear from her because these are what she does best in the first place being sourced from the heart (Broadway songs, Aretha Franklin medley, vaudeville).

She, whom world-renowned composer Michel Legrand calls his "mint tea," and world-class composer Mon David calls his "personal star," will also not always sing covers predisposed to her voice’s timbre. Rather, she would take on songs originally done in breathy and speak-easy rendition (Sharon Cuneta medley, "Sing") and cast these from unfamiliar but just as astonishing vocal perspective.

Bituin will project her voice and strut onstage as if it were a full house. She will not let on that she’s affected with empty seats – not that she was given her theatre background. How many times had she auditioned in performance level before just two, three people? What’s, say, 350 people in a 700 capacity venue? It’s a boon – and she’s a professional.

Did she at least sing her hit songs to humor her audience? Dream on. She’d rather sing an unreleased song from her upcoming independent album. And even for encore, Bituin chose "Heart Song, Love Dance;" an unreleased lilting ballad from her last album that will never coax people to their feet to punctuate impression that it was a "fun" night. People did not get fun that night but joy in and of music uncalculated to please.

When Bituin came back onstage right after Mon David, she did not attempt to overshadow her precedent’s performance with a screaming number that showed off her range nor with an upbeat number to distinguish her reappearance. What we got was an acoustic version of "Time After Time" with her sitting contentedly on a chair with lone spotlight on her.

Upbeat numbers were not disco. They were rock ("Proud Mary"), swing ("That’s All) and bossa nova ("The Shaker Song"). And collaboration really meant sharing equally with co-singers onstage never mind if they were there to do back-up in the first place.

So what if Bituin has no hit song on radio today? So what if she is not signed up with a major label? So what if her shows are not piled up to Kingdom Come and that her television appearances are far and between? So what if her first major concert turns out to be her last (though we hope not) no thanks to so-so attendance?

Bituin is a star because she is true artist.

And 350 people on their feet, cheering star on and crying for more as curtains fall in a 700 capacity-venue, is still standing ovation.