Yuki Haruhara -- Polar Star ~ Kimi dake wo Shinjite（ポーラスター～君だけを信じて～）

I'm not sure what actress Yumi Adachi（安達祐実）has been up to these days but I remember that she had been the up-and-coming child star during the 1990s. Moreover as a star coming up the ranks in Japan, releasing singles was also part of the gig as well. Even though I never bothered watching any of her dramas, she was still a household word since her beaming visage popped up often on television commercials.

One of the dramas that Adachi starred in was a 1997 TV Asahi adaptation of the popular manga "Glass no Kamen"（ガラスの仮面...Glass Mask） in which the actress played a teenager from humble surroundings who had to go through a ton of struggles to achieve her goal of becoming a stage actress. Some months ago, I came across the theme song for the show "Polar Star ~ Kimi dake wo Shinjite" (Believing In You Only).

Sung by Yokohama-born singer and radio personality Yuki Haruhara（春原佑紀）as her debut single, she first started out as a member of the early 90s aidoru group Sakurakko Club（桜っ子クラブ）. Then going into her 20s, she released "Polar Star", this pop/rock blast of encouragement that reminds me of other singers such as Ayumi Nakamura（中村あゆみ）, and yes, there is a feeling of similar music from a decade prior when I hear this. As well, although I can't remember the names right now, there are some female rockers from the early 1990s that come to mind.

Kyoko Habu（土生京子）was the lyricist while musician Satoru Sugawara（菅原サトル）composed the song. Released in August 1997, "Polar Star" made it as high as No. 55 on Oricon. Haruhara would release four more singles up to the end of 1998 and one album, but has since worked on Bay FM radio in Chiba Prefecture.