Lara Raj
| Lara Raj | |
|---|---|
 Lara Raj 240913 1.jpg Raj in September 2024 | |
| Born | Lara Rajagopalan November 3, 2005 Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| 💼 Occupation |
|
| 👪 Relatives | Rhea Raj (sister) |
Lara Rajagopalan (born November 3, 2005), known professionally as Lara Raj and mononymously as Lara, is an American singer based in Los Angeles, California. In 2024, she made her debut in the girl group Katseye,[1] formed through Hybe UMG and Geffen Records' global competition reality show Dream Academy in 2023.[2]
Early life
Lara Rajagopalan was born on November 3, 2005,[3] in Stamford, Connecticut, to an Indian mother, Kavita, and a Sri Lankan father, Sri. Her parents are both ethnically Tamils.[4] Lara's mother is a Bollywood dance teacher and chef, while her father is a businessman.[5] Her older sister, Rhea, is a singer-songwriter with whom she learned how to produce music with and shared a love for creating music.[5][6]
Raj spent her childhood in Dallas, Texas, before moving to New York City.[5] In New York, Raj attended middle school at Professional Performing Arts School and high school at LaGuardia High School.[5][7]
Career
Pre-debut
Raj began performing when she was five years old.[7] She took vocal lessons, and participated in acting training and dance classes as a child living in Dallas, Texas.[7] Raj began performing with Septien Entertainment Group, an artist development group, at venues like the House of Blues, Hard Rock Cafe, and Six Flags.[7] After winning a singing competition, Raj was accepted into a professional program and moved to New York City.[7]
As a preteen, Raj made a brief appearance on The Blacklist and appeared in commercials for Macy's and Spotify.[8][7] As a teenager, Raj was a company dancer at Broadway Dance Center.[7]
As a teenager, Raj was also involved in public speaking and modeling, having hosted segments for the American Heart Association’s "Go Red for Women" campaign.[9][10] In 2019, Raj appeared in a principal role in former First Lady Michelle Obama's Global Girls Alliance campaign launch video.[7][11]
2023: The Debut: Dream Academy
Raj first gained attention by posting song covers on social media, which led to an invitation to be part of the global audition program The Debut: Dream Academy in 2023, competing among 20 contestants.[12][13] Raj placed second in the competition, joining the girl group Katseye.[12][8] The group's formation process was later chronicled in the 2024 Netflix docuseries Popstar Academy: Katseye.[14]
2024–present: Katseye debut
In June 2024, Hybe confirmed that the release of the Katseye's first EP was set for August that year.[15][16] Raj debuted alongside the other members of Katseye with the release of the single "Debut" on June 28.[17] As a member of Katseye, Raj became the first Indian artist to sign with a Hybe label.[18]
During Katseye's collaboration with clothing retailer Gap, Raj's contribution received praise for furthering the normalization and progression of South Indian representation on the global media scale.[11][19]
Personal life
In March 2025, Raj came out as queer to fans on the idol–fan messaging app Weverse, describing herself as "half fruitcake." In May 2025, Raj received the "Blooming Impact Award" from the Los Angeles LGBT Center.[5]
In mid-2025, Raj was falsely reported via an anonymous ICE tip as being an undocumented immigrant in the U.S. The claim was incorrect and her supporters publicly refuted it.[4][20]
Raj, who is of Indian descent, is an advocate of South Asian representation in media. She appears with culturally specific adornments like a bindi, an Om necklace, and bangles.[21] During the advert for the Gap "Better In Denim" campaign with Katseye, Raj openly talks about how important it was for young brown girls to see someone who looks like them on billboards — saying that her mission is to make the South Asian community feel “uplifted, powerful and confident.[11] Raj cites inspiration from South Asian women like Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Avantika Vandanapu, and Ramisha Sattar.[12]
Her grandmother, whom Raj considered a "spiritual anchor", gifted her a "cat's eye" crystal before her death. Soon after, when Raj was selected to be a part of the final group and its name was revealed to be "Katseye", she felt it was "destiny".[12]
Discography
As a contestant of Dream Academy, Raj participated in the promotional release of the contestants' shared songs for competition. They were performed on November 17, 2024 and released to streaming platforms on August 21, 2024.[14]
Raj has done studio background vocals for her sister Rhea Raj's tracks.[5]
| As (artist) | Title | Released | Track | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Debut: Dream Academy | The Debut: Dream Academy - Live Finale | August 21, 2024 | "Dirty Water" | Promotional release |
| "All The Same" |
Videography
Filmography
Reality shows
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dream Academy | Contestant | YouTube | [13] |
| 2024 | "Pop Star Academy: Katseye" | Herself | Netflix | [14] |
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Emoting Emojis | Piper | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Blacklist | Sara | Episode: "Sutton Ross" | [7] |
References
- ↑ Cabral, Katrina Maisie (September 20, 2024). "The KATSEYE Members Talk About What Sophia Laforteza Is Like as a Leader". Preview.ph. Preview Philippines. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ↑ Fung, Gloria (September 8, 2024). "Meet Sophia Laforteza, K-pop girl group Katseye's lead vocalist with big dreams". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on November 15, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Meet Lara Raj: Tamil-American queer star of Katseye who just won a VMA". Moneycontrol. Archived from the original on September 9, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Indian-origin musician Lara Rajagopalan targeted, falsely reported to ICE for being an 'illegal alien'". The Times of India. June 16, 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Momenian, Donya (May 29, 2025). "KATSEYE Share the Secret Meaning Behind 'Gabriela'". Teen Vogue. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ↑ Thakur, Preeti (September 8, 2025). "Meet Lara Raj, Indian-Queer Pop Powerhouse, Member Of Katseye Who Won Their First VMA". BollywoodShaadis. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 "Meet Lara Raj - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 Swrup, Aahana (August 23, 2024). "Lara Raj: Where is the KATSEYE Member Now?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Lara Rajagopalan: The Indian-American teen artist makes it to K-Pop band KATSEYE". The Global Indian. January 7, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ Srivastava, Aditi (November 19, 2023). "Lara Rajagopalan: Meet HYBE's first Indian-origin K-pop idol, set to debut in KATSEYE". Hindustan Times. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Kandangwa, Sumnima (August 26, 2025). "Meet Katseye's Lara Raj, the LGBT star in an inspiring new Gap ad". South China Morning Post. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Naik, Sihaam (June 17, 2025). "Lara Raj may just be the desi pop baddie you've been waiting for". Vogue India. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Aniftos, Rania (August 28, 2023). "Meet the 20 Finalists for HYBE x Geffen 'Dream Academy' Global Girl Group Contest". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Burt, Kayti (August 23, 2024). "Netflix's Pop Star Academy: Katseye Reveals What it Takes to Make a Global Girl Group". Time. Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "K-pop girl group Katseye ready for US debut". The Star. June 18, 2024. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024 – via Borneo Bulletin Online. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Kim, Min-young (June 14, 2024). "Hybe, Geffen Records to debut new girl group Katseye on June 28". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Hybe's global girl group Katseye launches with debut single". The Korea Times. June 28, 2024. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ George, Tom (December 1, 2023). "KATSEYE are ready to be the next world-dominating girl band". i-D. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Sai, Aishwarya (August 25, 2025). ""This is why representation matters" – Fans react to viral post about Lara Raj's GAP ad inspiring a mother and daughter, KATSEYE idol responds". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on August 26, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "K-Pop Controversy: KATSEYE's Lara Falsely Reported to ICE Amid Visa Allegation". Deccan Herald. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
- ↑ Punjabi, Vishakha (September 1, 2025). "Lara Raj Is The Blueprint For South Asian Pop Baddie". Elle India. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
External links
Media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 466: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 466: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]] at Wikimedia Commons
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