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Draft:Lara Raj

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Lara Raj
Raj in September 2024
Born
Lara Rajagopalan

(2005-11-03) November 3, 2005 (age 20)
Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation
  • Singer
RelativesRhea Raj (sister)
Musical career
GenresPop
InstrumentVocals
Years active2024–present
Labels
Member ofKatseye

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

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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

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Pre-debut

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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

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Main article: Dream Academy

Raj first gained attention by posting song covers on social media such as TikTok,[12] which led to an invitation to be part of the global audition program The Debut: Dream Academy in 2023, competing among 20 contestants.[13][14] Raj placed second in the competition, joining the girl group Katseye.[13][8] The group's formation process was later chronicled in the 2024 Netflix docuseries Popstar Academy: Katseye.[15]

2024–present: Katseye debut

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Main article: Katseye

In June 2024, Hybe confirmed that the release of the Katseye's first EP was set for August that year.[16][17] Raj debuted alongside the other members of Katseye with the release of the single "Debut" on June 28.[18] As a member of Katseye, Raj became the first Indian artist to sign with a Hybe label.[19]

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][20]

Personal life

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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]

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][22][23] 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.[13]

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".[13]

Discography

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See also: Katseye § 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.[15]

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

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Main article: Katseye § Videography

Filmography

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Reality shows

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Year Title Role Network Ref.
2023 Dream Academy Contestant YouTube [14]
2024 "Pop Star Academy: Katseye" Herself Netflix [15]

Films

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Emoting Emojis Piper Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2018 The Blacklist Sara Episode: "Sutton Ross" [7]

References

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  1. ^ Cabral, Katrina Maisie (September 20, 2024). "The KATSEYE Members Talk About What Sophia Laforteza Is Like as a Leader". Preview.ph. Preview Philippines. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "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. ^ "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. ^ a b c d e f Momenian, Donya (May 29, 2025). "KATSEYE Share the Secret Meaning Behind 'Gabriela'". Teen Vogue. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  6. ^ 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Meet Lara Raj - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Swrup, Aahana (August 23, 2024). "Lara Raj: Where is the KATSEYE Member Now?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  9. ^ "Lara Rajagopalan: The Indian-American teen artist makes it to K-Pop band KATSEYE". The Global Indian. January 7, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  10. ^ 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ Saulog, Gabriel (August 27, 2025). "KATSEYE's Lara On Becoming Everything She Never Saw Growing Up". Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d 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.
  14. ^ a b 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.
  15. ^ a b c 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.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "Hybe's global girl group Katseye launches with debut single". The Korea Times. June 28, 2024. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024.
  19. ^ George, Tom (December 1, 2023). "KATSEYE are ready to be the next world-dominating girl band". i-D. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Punjabi, Vishakha (September 1, 2025). "Lara Raj Is The Blueprint For South Asian Pop Baddie". Elle India. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  22. ^ Narain, Anadya (September 10, 2025). "How KATSEYE's Lara Raj Proves Desi Representation In Media Isn't Just A Buzzword". Hauterrfly. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  23. ^ Momenian, Donya (May 29, 2025). "KATSEYE's Lara Explains Why She Unapologetically Wears Her Bindi". Teen Vogue. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
[edit]
  • Media related to Lara Raj at Wikimedia Commons


Category:2005 births Category:Living people Category:American singers of Indian descent Category:American people of Indian Tamil descent Category:American people of Sri Lankan descent Category:Singers from Connecticut Category:American dance-pop musicians Category:American women pop singers Category:American contemporary R&B singers Category:Hybe artists Category:Geffen Records artists Category:Katseye

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