'Night Diver': Haruma Miura's posthumously released single album is a haunting testament to his musical gifts
Haruma Miura's posthumously released single album 'Night Diver', which includes the title track as well as two other original tracks one of which was written and composed entirely by the artiste himself, dropped on August 26. The release offers an all-too-short glimpse into the talent of a musician who is sadly gone too soon.
Miura was a Japanese actor and singer. He debuted in the 1997 television drama 'Agri', but only really rose to popularity with his 2007 role in the film 'Koizara', which earned him both critical acclaim and widespread praise for his performance. He would go on to star in a string of well-known shows and films, including 'Attack on Titan', 'Gintama 2' and the third season of 'Gokusen'. In 2019, Miura made his debut as a singer with the single 'Fight for Your Heart', which was accompanied by the track 'You'. His second single, 'Night Diver', followed in 2020. An acclaimed actor, a budding musical artiste and a beloved personality, Miura was destined to keep seeing more fame. His life was sadly cut short when in July, the 30-year-old artiste was found hanging in his closet by his manager in what appeared to be a suicide.
At the time of his passing, Miura was involved in several projects, including co-hosting the travel program 'Sekai wa Hoshii Mono ni Afureteru: Tabi Suru Buyer Gokujō List', starring in the films 'Gift of Fire' and 'Brave: Gunjyo Senki', a musical titled 'The Illusionist', and the TBS drama 'Okane no Kireme ga Koi no Hajimari', and, of course, his single, originally scheduled to premiere on July 24 during an episode of Music Station SP. The track's digital release went ahead as planned and an accompanying music video dropped along with it. But following his passing, many began to wonder if Miura's final work as a singer would see the light of day as an officially released single, but soon the singer's agency Amuse confirmed that the song would drop on August 26, accompanied by two other tracks, 'You & I' and 'ONE'.
'Night Diver' is a perfect introduction to Miura's style, blending some classic elements of J-pop with dance-pop and electronica. But more importantly, it gives listeners a brief look at the singer's vocal skills as he effortlessly hits the song's climactic notes. This shouldn't come as a surprise to fans of Miura. In addition to his films and shows, the actor was also involved with several stage productions. Most notably, he played Lola in the Japanese production of 'Kinky Boots', winning Best New Actor and the Haruko Sugimura Award for his performance.
Nonetheless, Miura transitions seamlessly from his theatrical roots to his more contemporary J-pop sound on 'Night Diver'. But what makes this track haunting is its allusion to anxieties and feeling locked in a repetitive loop, which Miura briefly hinted at in his suicide note. Whether he meant for the song's theme to overlap with what he was dealing with or not, it's difficult to separate the two. But despite the song's themes, it does take on a hopeful outlook, one that hopes for change and a way to move forward.
On 'ONE', we get to hear more of his distinct vocals, in addition to hearing him move through the song's emotional beats with such ease that it makes it easy to see why he was such an acclaimed performer. 'You & I', which Miura wrote and composed himself, is the standout of this release. Miura delivers a powerful and emotional vocal performance while also demonstrating his skills as a songwriter. And as one listens to this track, it's hard to not feel deeply sad about the world losing such a gifted artiste so young.
'Night Diver' and it's accompanying tracks offer a short glimpse into what would have surely been an illustrious music career for Miura. And while we mourn losing him well before his time, we can take comfort in knowing that we got to hear him sing his heart out one last time.