Lara

Lara Raj is a member of the global girl group KATSEYE, which HYBE and Geffen Records formed through the competition series The Debut: Dream Academy in 2023. An Indian-American performer with Tamil roots, she began performing as a small child and worked her way through Texas and New York before auditioning for the show. Within the group she has called herself the "middle child" and has been open about wanting creative goals beyond KATSEYE, including producing. Her older sister Rhea Raj is also a pop artist. In 2026 she is active on the WILDWORLD tour supporting the group's WILD EP.

Where they grew up

Lara began performing around age five and spent her early childhood in Dallas, Texas, where she took voice, acting, and dance classes. She performed with the Septien entertainment group at venues such as the House of Blues and the American Airlines Center, and a singing competition win there led to a spot in their professional program and a move to New York City. In New York she signed with an agent and landed auditions and bookings, including an appearance on NBC's The Blacklist, commercials, and a principal role in a Global Girls Alliance campaign video with Michelle Obama. She attended the Professional Performing Arts School for middle school and was headed to LaGuardia High School as a drama major at age 14. Her parents, Kavita and Sri Rajagopalan, are Tamil, and she grew up in a family that stayed closely tied to its Tamil and South Asian culture.

Birth details: i-d.co