Jakarta released their debut, synth-funk-oriented album Maske za dvoje in 1984 to good reception by Yugoslav audience and critics.

[1] During the initial period, the band went through numerous lineup changes, before original members Igor Popović (vocals) and Jane Parđovski (guitar), the latter formerly of the band Butik (Boutique), started performing with Rade Bulatović "Čeja" (bass guitar), Miloš Petrović (keyboards) and Ivan Fece "Firchie" (drums).

[2] Jakarta gained the attention of the public performing as the opening act for U Škripcu, and was soon offered a contract by PGP-RTB record label.

[1] The album saw success with Yugoslav music critics and audience, bringing the hits "Spiritus", "Piromanija" ("Pyromania"), "Dama sa severa" ("Lady from the North") and "Pozovi me" ("Call Me").

[4] In 1985, Popović appeared as vocalist in the Rex Ilusivii song "Arabia", released on the various artists compilation album Ventilator 202 Demo Top 10 Vol.

[6] The band's second album, Bomba u grudima (Bomb in the Chest), recorded with the new drummer Miroslav Karlović and produced by Habić, was released in 1986.

[10] The album also included two covers of Fleetwood Mac song "Big Love", a version with original lyrics and a Serbian language version entitled "Prava ljubav" ("True Love"), and a cover of the song "Jagode i maline" ("Strawberries and Raspberries") by Yugoslav band Korni Grupa.

[1] The history of Jakarta and the career of Igor Popović were the inspiration for the story of the fictional band Kalkuta (Calcuta) and their frontman Lazar Petronijević in the 2017 novel Kada kažeš da sam tvoj (When You Say I'm Yours) by Serbian writer Goran Skrobonja.