Sakura Fujiwara

Overview

Sakura Fujiwara (藤原さくら, born December 30, 1995 in Fukuoka) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actress. She is represented by Amuse Inc., runs her own label Tiny Jungle Records, and her official fan club is called "Meating." She made her major debut in 2015 with the mini-album à la carte and made her acting debut in the 2016 drama Love Song.

Career

Early years (1995–2014)

Her father, bassist Koji Fujiwara, gave her a classical guitar when she was 10, and she began playing. In 2010, at 15, she joined the Fukuoka vocal school VOAT, and a showcase audition led to a development contract with Amuse. In high school she self-produced three mini-albums (bloom1–3), and on March 5, 2014 she released her first studio album full bloom independently. After moving to Tokyo she held her first solo concert, "bloom & green," and played her first overseas show in Singapore.

Major debut and breakthrough (2015–2018)

On March 18, 2015 she debuted on SPEEDSTAR RECORDS with à la carte. "Just one girl," written for the drama Gakkō no Kaidan, also dates from that year. Her major-label first full album good morning arrived in February 2016, and in April she played Sakura Sano in the Fuji TV drama Love Song, alongside Masaharu Fukuyama, singing its theme "Soup," released as her first single on June 8. The role earned her the New Artist award at the 4th Oricon Confidence Awards Drama Prize, and she won the special award "Best Teen Choice Artist" at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2016. In 2017 she released the single Someday / Haru no Uta (the latter used as the theme of the live-action March Comes in like a Lion) on March 29, launched the fan club Meating, released her second album PLAY on May 10, and toured halls nationwide. Her song "1995" was used in the film Her Sketchbook. She also released the collaboration "Koi no Hajimari" with Leo Ieiri and Sakurako Ohara and composed "Just the way we are" for an NHK Paralympic-themed anime short. In 2018 she released "The Moon" (theme of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion II Handou), covered Sheena Ringo's "Akane sasu kiro terasaredo .." for a tribute album, and released the two-part EPs green (June 13) and red (September 19), her first fully self-produced works with sound production by mabanua. "NEW DAY" and "Mata Ashita" were used for the anime OKKO'S INN. She also headlined Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in July.

2019–2023

In 2019 she made her stage debut in a Gekidan Shinkansen production and toured live houses with the Twilight Tour 2019. Her third album SUPERMARKET followed on October 21, 2020, and her first live album Supermarket Live 2021 at Nakano Sunplaza on August 25, 2021. In 2022 she appeared in the dramas Fight Song and Tsukanoma no Ichika, joined the musical Janis, and released the single EP Mabataki. Her fourth studio album AIRPORT came out on May 17, 2023; she also appeared in the NHK drama The Voices at War and in the film Twilight Cinema Blues. In October 2023 she founded her own label, Tiny Jungle Records.

2024 onward

Her fifth studio album wood mood was released on April 3, 2024. On June 5 she announced a hiatus from music because of functional dysphonia, a voice disorder not caused by physical or neurological problems, and remained inactive for several months. She resumed activities in the first half of 2025 but has not yet fully recovered. Wood mood (live at NHK Hall) appeared in December 2024; in 2025 she released "Angel," "scent of the time," "Two of Me" (from Star Wars: Visions Vol. 3 – BLACK) and "OK." From January 2026 she issued "深海," "little baby" and "Blue Blue Blue," followed by the releases My summer and uku. Her acting credits include the films Twilight Cinema Blues (2023), Sato and Sato (2025) and Coffee After All (2026), and the drama Blossom (2026).

Musical style

Raised on her father's rock, folk, soul and world music, Fujiwara is an avid Beatles fan and names Paul McCartney as her favorite musician; she also enjoys Yael Naim, Norah Jones and YUI. Built on acoustic guitar and her own songwriting, her music has broadened over time, including the self-produced green and red EPs.