Oda Sakura

"My desire to become skilled in singing is inexhaustible. Around when I debuted I didn’t sufficiently know about music, but I had confidence in how I sang. I studied various things, and have realized my own short comings and don’t have as much self-confidence. However, I think that I’m more skilled than I was before. There’s still a ways to go but, I want to pursue my goals in singing!"

- Oda Sakura, October 2016

Oda Sakura (小田さくら) is a Japanese pop singer under Hello! Project. She is an 11th generation member of Morning Musume and a former member of Hello Pro Kenshuusei. She was first introduced at a fanclub event in November 2011 alongside Yamaga Kanae. She is also a former member of the SATOYAMA Movement unit ODATOMO.

Early Life
Oda Sakura was born on March 12, 1999 in Zama, Kanagawa, Japan.

2011
On November 12, at a fanclub event, Oda Sakura was introduced as a new member of Hello Pro Egg, alongside Yamaga Kanae, after failing the S/mileage Shin Member Boshuu! auditions.

2012
In January and February, Oda participated in the Hello! Project 2012 WINTER Hello☆Pro Tengoku concerts as a background dancer.

On September 14, Oda was announced as the winner of Morning Musume 11th Generation ~Suppin Utahime~ Audition. Oda would start her official Morning Musume duties in January 2013 during the Hello! Project Tanjou 15 Shuunen Kinen Live 2013 Fuyu tour.

On December 14, Oda's Morning Musume member color was revealed to be Lavender.

2013
On April 11, Oda officially started blogging in the 10th generation members' blog.

On May 23, Oda began a solo web talk show exclusive to fanclub members, titled Sakura Sakuradio.

On August 22, Oda held a solo fan club event titled Morning Musume Oda Sakura Solo Event ~Sakura no Shirabe~.

On November 14, she held another solo fan club event titled Morning Musume Oda Sakura Solo Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 2~.

2014
On March 13, she celebrated her 15th birthday at an event called Oda Sakura Birthday Event 2014 ~Sakura no Shirabe 3~. It had two performances at the TOKYO FM HALL. The same day, it was announced that Oda would be a member of a newly formed SATOYAMA movement unit with Kanazawa Tomoko called ODATOMO.

In June, Oda participated in her first ever theatrical production LILIUM -Lilium Shoujo Junketsu Kageki- as the character Sylvatica. A solo performance sung by her was the opening musical act for the play.

On July 5, Oda had a fanclub event called Morning Musume '14 Oda Sakura Solo Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 3.5~. In this event she challenged herself by singing more difficult songs outside of Hello! Project, including a partial English cover of "Let it Go".

2015
On February 19, Oda's fanclub-exclusive web talk show Sakura Sakuradio ended with a total of 90 episodes.

On March 16, Oda celebrated her 16th birthday at an event titled Morning Musume '15 Oda Sakura Birthday Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 4~. It had two performances at TOKYO FM HALL, and part of the setlist featured her singing to live piano arrangements.

2016
On March 22, Oda celebrated her 17th birthday at event titled Morning Musume '16 Oda Sakura Birthday Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 5~. It had two performances at CLUB CITTA' in her home prefecture Kanagawa.

On April 18, Oda announced her first solo photobook, titled Sakura Moyou. It was published on May 27, and her first solo image Blu-ray which featured the making of the photobook, titled Behind of Photobook ~Sakura Moyou~, was released on November 29.

2017
On March 29, Oda celebrated her 18th birthday at a fanclub event titled Morning Musume '17 Oda Sakura Birthday Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 6~ at Differ Ariake.

On October 16, Oda announced she will release her second solo photobook on November 17, titled Sakura Breeze.

On December 27, she will release her second solo image Blu-ray.

Personal Life
Family= Her father, Akira, works as a politician.

Sakura's mother's name is Tomoko. Oda has an older brother named Daichi and a younger sister. Oda moved to Tokyo with her mother and siblings from her hometown.

She also has five pet cats: Taku, Nana, Kuri, Pooh, and Momo. Taku passed away on March 23, 2015; and Nana passed away on January 5, 2017.

When she auditioned for Morning Musume, Oda was a 2nd year middle school student. She started high school in April 2014 and graduated in March 2017.
 * -|Education=

Oda most notably gets along with Fukumura Mizuki, Nonaka Miki, Suzuki Kanon, Ikuta Erina, Sato Masaki, Yokoyama Reina and Hamaura Ayano'''
 * -|Friendships=

Her pairing name with Fukumura Mizuki is Odamura Mizura (小田村みずら), and her pairing name with Sato Masaki is MaaSaku (まぁーさく).

Oda's given name, Sakura, means "cherry blossom" (さくら, 桜). Her father gave it to her wanting her to be like Tora-san's little sister from the film Otoko wa Tsurai yo. Hiragana was chosen instead of the kanji in order to balance with the number of strokes in her last name.
 * -|Name Meaning=

Here is a list of nicknames that was used to refer to Oda Sakura:
 * -|Nicknames=
 * Sakura (さくら): Official nickname, given her since Hello Pro Kenshuusei.
 * Odan (おだん): Given by Tsunku, currently used by Ikuta Erina.
 * OdaSaku (おださく): Official nickname for Oda Sakura, compounded of Oda (Oda) and Saku (Sakura).
 * Odachii (おだちい): Unofficial nickname, given her since joining Morning Musume used by fans.
 * Sakurakkyo (さくらっきょ): Another unpopular Tsunku-originated nickname for Oda Sakura, compounded of sakura (cherry blossom) and rakkyo (Japanese shallot).
 * Kururin (くるりん): Niigaki Risa came up with the nickname "Kururin" for Sakura when asked to by a commenter on her blog.

Profile
Stats=
 * Name: Oda Sakura (小田さくら)
 * Nicknames: Sakura (さくら), Odachii (おだちい), OdaSaku (おださく), Dacchi (だっち), Odan (おだん), Odacho (おだちょ), Sakurakkyo (さくらっきょ), Sacchan (さっちゃん), SakuSaku (さくさく)
 * Birthplace: Zama, Kanagawa, Japan
 * Birthday: 
 * Blood type: A
 * Height: 151cm
 * Hello! Project Status:
 * 2011-11-12: Hello Pro Kenshuusei member
 * 2012-09-14: Morning Musume member
 *  Status:
 * 2012-09-14: Joined
 * 2012-10-01: Transferred to (as part of Morning Musume)
 * Years in Morning Musume: 4 Years
 * Official Kaomoji: 从´‘e‘ﾘ
 * Morning Musume Color: Lavender (2012-present)
 * ODATOMO Color: Pink (2014-present)
 * Audition Song: "Be Alive" by Morning Musume
 * Hello! Project Groups:
 * Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2011–2012)
 * Morning Musume (2012-present)
 * Hello! Project Mobekimasu (2012-2013)
 * ODATOMO (2014-2016)
 * -|Q&A=
 * See also: List:Oda Sakura Pocket Morning Weekly Q&A


 * Hobbies: Sewing, cooking, humming on songs
 * Special Skills: Hula dance
 * Strong Point: Being able to talk to people without creating a wall between them.
 * Weak Point: Being too positive sometimes
 * Looks Up To: Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, Michishige Sayumi, Nakajima Saki, Sugaya Risako
 * Rival No. 1: Sato Masaki
 * Favorite Morning Musume Songs: "Namidacchi", "Mikan", "HOW DO YOU LIKE JAPAN? ~Nihon wa Donna Kanji Dekka?~", "I WISH"
 * Favorite Hello! Project Songs: "Midnight Temptation", "Suna wo Kamu You ni... NAMIDA"
 * Past Favorite Songs: "Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow" by Perfume, "Smile ~Kimi wa Hitori ja nai~" by Shiori, "Sakuranbo" by Otsuka Ai
 * Current Favorite Songs: "GLITTER" by Perfume, "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey, "Kaze to Mirai" by Ikimonogakari
 * Favorite Color: White
 * Favorite Food: Matsumaezuke, jellyfish, and eggplant
 * Favorite Manga: Shugo Chara!, Suki-tte Ii na yo.
 * Favorite Word: "Ichigoichie" (一期一会; Once in a lifetime)
 * Favorite Phrase: "~or so I think"
 * Favorite Movie: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
 * Favorite Subject: Home economics, music
 * Disliked Subject: Language, English
 * Charm point: Facial features
 * Treasured Item: A stuffed bear she had since birth

Discography

 * See also: List:Oda Sakura Discography Featured In

Solo DVDs

 * [2013.01.30] Greeting ~Oda Sakura~
 * [2016.03.12] Morning Musume '16 Oda Sakura Birthday DVD 2016

Solo Blu-rays

 * [2016.11.29] Behind of Photobook ~Sakura Moyou~
 * [2017.12.27] TBA

Solo Fanclub DVDs

 * [2014.06.27] Oda Sakura Solo Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 1&2~
 * [2014.10.27] Morning Musume '14 Oda Sakura WEB Talk "Sakurasaku Radio" Part.1
 * [2017.07.xx] Morning Musume '17 Oda Sakura Birthday Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 6~

Solo Songs

 * [2016] Mayoi no Mori (from Zoku 11nin Iru! Higashi no Chihei, Nishi no Towa)

Publications

 * See also: List:Oda Sakura Publications Featured In

Solo Photobooks

 * [2016.05.27] Sakura Moyou
 * [2017.11.17] Sakura Breeze

TV Programs

 * [2012-2013] Hello! SATOYAMA Life (ハロー! SATOYAMA ライフ)
 * [2014–] The Girls Live

Animated Films

 * [2015] PreCure All Stars - Haru no Carnival♪ (映画プリキュアオールスターズ 春のカーニバル♪)

Radio

 * [2013–] Morning Musume no Morning Jogakuin ~Houkago Meeting~ (モーニング娘. のモーニング女学院～放課後ミーティング～)

Theater

 * [2014] LILIUM -Lilium Shoujo Junketsu Kageki-
 * [2015] TRIANGLE
 * [2016] Zoku 11nin Iru! Higashi no Chihei, Nishi no Towa
 * [2017] Pharaoh no Haka

Internet

 * [2013–] Hello! Project Station (ハロ！ステ)
 * [2013–2015] Sakura Sakuradio (さくらさくらじお) (Fanclub exclusive)

Trivia

 * When she was a Kenshuusei, she said that she would like to debut into Berryz Koubou.
 * She is currently learning how to play the guitar.
 * She is known for being very confident.
 * She is close to her older brother.
 * Initially she wanted her member color to be a "warm" color like yellow or red.
 * She said that if she could be an animal, she would be a rabbit or a dog.
 * She said her dream as an idol is to become unique within Hello! Project.
 * She can imitate certain girls' voices very well.
 * She said her goal within Morning Musume is to sing like Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa, and to dance like Nakajima Saki.
 * She is the fourth member of Morning Musume to be from Hello Pro Kenshuusei; others being Linlin, Fukumura Mizuki and Kudo Haruka.
 * When she first joined Morning Musume, Tsunku said she was one of the top three vocalists ever in Hello! Project, along with Takahashi Ai and Matsuura Aya (he later named Tanaka Reina a best vocalist).
 * Her best sport is swimming.
 * She has been a fan of Morning Musume and Minimoni since kindergarten.
 * Her S/mileage audition number was 33, while her Morning Musume audition number was 178.
 * She is close friends with Hamaura Ayano.
 * There is a possibility that Tsunku planned on adding Oda to Morning Musume since she auditioned for S/mileage back in 2011.
 * When she joined Morning Musume, she immediately became good friends with Sayashi Riho.
 * When asked who was the nicest senpai in Morning Musume during the Morning Musume 2013 fall tour, she said Tanaka Reina.
 * A hairstyle she would like to try next is a short cut like Kudo Haruka's.
 * She is not good at memorizing her positions on stage during performances, like Kusumi Koharu.
 * She said her favorite member is Kudo Haruka.
 * She considers Sato Masaki as a genius and her greatest rival.
 * Miyamoto Karin stated that Oda was her rival because they're both the same age, they were both Hello Pro Kenshuusei, and because Oda is a great singer.
 * Oda took rhythmic gymnastics in order to improve her flexibility and dancing skills.
 * She was a vegetarian up until after nursery school.
 * Oda said that she enjoys electronic music like Perfume, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, and Daft Punk.
 * She has also stated that she enjoys listening to Pentatonix, an American acapella group.
 * Oda's complex is her eyebags.
 * Oda would like to become an idol who heals people.
 * Her least favorite subject in middle school was English because she was not good at it.
 * Oda has said herself in a blog post that she is a bit of a crybaby.
 * Fukumura Mizuki mentioned that Oda tends to buy sakura-patterned or sakura-flavored things.
 * Oda has mentioned before that she sometimes takes up to 2 hours bathing in the bathtub.
 * She wants to sing as good as Berryz Koubou member Sugaya Risako.
 * "Odaism" is a term created by Iikubo Haruna (as well as fans) to refer to Oda's unique insights and or atmosphere.
 * Tsunku commented on her: "She's a little bit of everything. Her singing, her movements, her personality... it's all a bit of everything. She can be put on the side and work just fine, but she can also be the center and nail that as well. That she can change like that is a great thing to have. Please work hard at improving!"
 * Oda as said in radio show Morning Jogakuin that she would like to learn the genius of Sato Masaki.
 * She is the only member who has heard the mysterious composition by Sato Masaki titled "Jinsei wa Iroiro Aaru♪" (人生はいろいろあーる♪). She is also the only member who featured in Sato's remix version of "Fantasy ga Hajimaru."
 * Oda's favorite costumes are the black non-cat outfits worn in "Sexy Cat no Enzetsu" and her own costumes for "Help me!!" and "One and Only."
 * Since her debut, Oda has had a solo line in every single A-side except for "Toki wo Koe Sora wo Koe", "Mikaeri Bijin", and "One and Only", with the latter two having no solo lines at all.
 * If she could be reborn as someone else, she would become Suzuki Airi, who Oda thinks was born with the talent to sing and dance and is very hard-working.
 * She believes she is the Hello! Project member who has the most objective view.
 * If she did not join Morning Musume, Oda joked that she would have become a Pretty Cure, which was her dream before Morning Musume, or Sailor Moon.