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 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 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.

2017
On March 29, Oda will celebrate her 18th birthday at an event titled Morning Musume '17 Oda Sakura Birthday Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 6~, featuring one show at Differ Ariake.

Personal Life
Family=
 * Main Page: 

Oda's parents are divorced. Her father, Akira, works as a politician and married another woman named Hiromi. Both have one son together (a half-brother of Oda) named Taishi.

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. As of April 2016, she is currently attending her second year of high school.
 * -|Education=

The following list are notable friendships Oda Sakura has acquired:
 * -|Friendships=
 * Nonaka Miki: Oda is good friends with Nonaka Miki.
 * Suzuki Kanon: She gets along best with Suzuki Kanon.
 * Ikuta Erina: She also gets along best with Ikuta Erina.
 * Sato Masaki: Oda gets along well with Morning Musume member Sato Masaki.
 * Miyazaki Yuka: She is close friends with Juice=Juice member Miyazaki Yuka.
 * Uemura Akari: She is close friends with Juice=Juice member Uemura Akari.
 * Nakanishi Kana: She also is close friends with ANGERME member Nakanishi Kana.
 * Hamaura Ayano: She is good friends with Hamaura Ayano from Kobushi Factory since Hello Pro Kenshuusei.
 * : She is good friends with soloist.

Other Oda's given name, "Sakura", means cherry blossom (さくら; sakura). Her father gave it to her wanting her to be like Tora-san's little sister from "Otoko wa Tsurai yo"!
 * Odamura Mizura (小田村みずら): Fukumura Mizuki combined her and Oda's name to make "Odamura Mizura".
 * MaaSaku (まぁーさく): Her and Sato Masaki's pairing name is "MaaSaku".
 * -|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: 151 cm
 * Hello! Project Status:
 * 2011-11-12: Hello Pro Kenshuusei Member
 * 2012-09-14: Full Member
 * 2012-09-14: Morning Musume Member
 * UP-FRONT AGENCY Status:
 * 2012-09-14: Full Member
 * 2012-10-01: Transferred to UP-FRONT PROMOTION (as part of Morning Musume)
 * UP-FRONT PROMOTION Status:
 * 2012-10-01: Member
 * 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?~"
 * Favorite Songs in the Past: "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, "Midnight Temptation" by ℃-ute
 * 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 stuff bear she had since birth

Discography

 * See Also: List:Oda Sakura Discography Featured In

Solo DVDs/Blu-rays

 * [2013.01.30] Greeting ~Oda Sakura~ (“e-Hello!” DVD)
 * [2016.03.12] Morning Musume '16 Oda Sakura Birthday DVD 2016 (DVD Magazine)
 * [2016.11.xx] Behind of Photobook ~Sakura Moyou~

Fanclub DVDs

 * [2014.06.27] Oda Sakura Solo Event ~Sakura no Shirabe 1&2~ (小田さくらソロイベント～さくらのしらべ １＆２～)
 * [2014.10.27] Morning Musume '14 Oda Sakura WEB Talk "Sakurasaku Radio" Part.1 (モーニング娘. ’14 小田さくら WEBトーク『さくらさくらじお』Part.1)

Solo Photobooks

 * [2016.05.27] Sakura Moyou

Group Photobooks

 * [2013.04.20] Michishige ☆ Photo SOUL

Cover girl

 * [2012.10.06] Top Yell (Back cover)
 * [2013.10.17] Weekly Famitsu Taiwan Vol.456

Featured on the cover

 * [2013.01.23] Anikan R Yanyan (Back cover) (Iikubo Haruna, Fukumura Mizuki, Ishida Ayumi, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon, Satou Masaki, & Kudo Haruka)
 * [2013.02.25] Idol Frontline 2013  (with Michishige Sayumi, Fukumura Mizuki, & Kudo Haruka)
 * [2013.04.06] Top Yell  (with Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina, Tsugunaga Momoko, Okai Chisato, Iikubo Haruna, Fukuda Kanon, Hagiwara Mai, Fukumura Mizuki, Ishida Ayumi, Sayashi Riho)
 * [2013.04.11] Anikan R Yanyan Vol.5 (with Tanaka Reina, Fukumura Mizuki, Ishida Ayumi, Ikuta Erina, & Kudo Haruka)
 * [2013.08.25] bounce issue 358 (with Michishige Sayumi, Fukumura Mizuki, Ishida Ayumi, & Sayashi Riho)
 * [2013.09.11] Anikan R Yanyan magazine Vol.9 (Fukumura Mizuki, Ishida Ayumi, Ikuta Erina, & Satou Masaki)
 * [2014.01.29] Anikan R Yanyan Vol.13 (with Michishige Sayumi, Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi, & Ikuta Erina)
 * [2014.07.19] Photo Technic Digital (with Fukumura Mizuki, Ishida Ayumi, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, & Suzuki Kanon)
 * [2015.12.25] Gekkan Idol Shinbun (Newspaper) (Back cover) (with Fukumura Mizuki, Sayashi Riho, Iikubo Haruna, & Ogata Haruna)

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～)
 * [2013–2015] Sakura Sakuradio (FC Radio Show)

Theater

 * [2014] LILIUM -Lilium Shoujo Junketsu Kageki- (LILIUM －リリウム 少女純潔歌劇－)
 * [2015] TRIANGLE
 * [2016] Zoku 11nin Iru! Higashi no Chihei, Nishi no Towa

Internet

 * [2013–] Hello! Project Station (ハロ！ステ)

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; other 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.
 * 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 Sakura was her rival because they're both the same age, they were both kenshuuseis, and because Sakura is a great singer.
 * Sakura took rhythmic gymnastics in order to improve her flexibility and dancing skills.
 * She was a vegetarian up until after nursery school.
 * Sakura 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.
 * Sakura's complex is her eyebags.
 * Sakura 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.
 * Sakura has said herself in a blog post that she is a bit of a cry-baby.
 * Fukumura Mizuki mentioned that Sakura tends to buy "sakura"-patterned or "sakura"-flavored things.
 * Sakura 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 Sakura'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/song of Sato entitled 人生はいろいろあーる♪ (Jinsei wa iro-iro aru♪).
 * Oda is the only member who was featured in Sato Masaki's remix version of Fantasy ga Hajimaru.