Sakura is the debut album by musician Fariz RM, released in 1980 under the Akurama Records label. The album features Fariz performing all the instruments using an overdubbing system. The album was a major success and catapulted Fariz RM's name as a musician. In 2007, the album was listed among the 150 Best Indonesian Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone Indonesia magazine.
Fariz RM's early influence from David Bowie is clearly reflected in the highly descriptive, documentary-style lyrics. The songs on this album are rich in elements of ballad, romance, and melancholy, which would become hallmarks of Fariz RM's style, and are delivered in a mix of disco and R&B genres, relying heavily on drum machines, keyboards, and synthesizers. After the repeated delay of the album Selangkah ke Seberang, Chrisye attempted to circulate the album's master cassette to various parties to gain attention. This caught the interest of Diwandida Film, which was developing a screenplay for a romance film that would eventually be titled Sakura dalam Pelukan. Under the direction of filmmaker Fritz G. Schadt, Fariz RM wrote a song titled "Sakura", which became the theme song for the film, featuring Grace Simon as the lead vocalist. At Grace Simon's urging, Fariz also performed "Sakura" himself, which led to the creation of a new album of the same name.
Sakura was recorded at Gelora Seni Studio in Jakarta using the overdubbing technique. Fariz RM provided lead vocals and performed all instruments, including string instruments, bass, drums, guitar, brass instruments, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, and electric piano. He composed and arranged all the songs (some co-written with Anton Panggabean and Jimmy Paais), including new arrangements of three songs from the previous album: "Selangkah ke Seberang", "Mega Bhuana", and "Cermin Noda". Anita Carolina Mohede performed duets on three tracks: "Nada Cinta", "Mega Bhuana", and "Malam Kesembilan". A Japanese-language narration in the track "Sakura" was provided by Mrs. Herawati.
In producing the album, Fariz experimented with various approaches, drawing inspiration from elements of contemporary pop music and disco that were popular at the time. He also incorporated influences from the falsetto vocal technique and brass instrumentation, inspired respectively by the musical styles of the Bee Gees and Earth, Wind & Fire.
The album achieved great success and elevated his reputation both as a musician and a singer. Songs such as "Sakura", "Selangkah ke Seberang", and "(Belenggu) Perjalanan" became some of his most popular works and have been rearranged and covered by various artists.
The album Sakura was ranked 17th in the list of the "150 Best Indonesian Albums" by Rolling Stone Indonesia magazine, published in issue No. 32 in December 2007. Two songs from the albumâÂÂ"Sakura" and "Selangkah ke Seberang"âÂÂwere ranked 9th and 121st, respectively, in the list of "150 Best Indonesian Songs", published in issue No. 56 in December 2009 by the same magazine.