KATSEYE is the next big thing, and all of the members have that It-factor!
Among the six standout members is Lara Rajagopalan, whose making waves for her unique background, effortless style and sheer confidence. As KATSEYE celebrates their new Netflix documentary series, Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, and their EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), it’s time to learn more about Lara.
Who Is Lara From KATSEYE?
Born on November 3, 2005 (a Scorpio!), Lara is Indian-American singer who grew up in Los Angeles, California. Lara secured 2nd place on the survival show The Debut: Dream Academy, which earned her a coveted spot in the girl group KATSEYE.
Outside of music, she appeared in Michelle Obama‘s Global Girls Alliance launch campaign video, advocating for women’s fundamental right to education. Fun fact: Lara is bilingual, speaking both English and Tamil.
In addition to her own burgeoning career, Lara is the younger sister of Rhea Raj, a talented singer-songwriter and fellow pop artist. Rhea, who began her musical journey at just 15, auditioned for Season 15 of American Idol and has since released singles “2AM,” “Royalty,” “You’re a Star” and “Need Me.” We guess talent just runs in the Rajagopalan family!
Who Are KATSEYE?
Formed through the 2023 survival show The Debut: Dream Academy, this group is not your typical K-pop band — but a global girl group. KATSEYE is on a mission to blend K-pop influences with a universal appeal, creating a fresh and exciting sound that transcends traditional boundaries.
The group is a melting pot of international talent. Alongside Lara, KATSEYE features fellow American stars Megan Skiendiel and Daniela Avanzini, Switzerland’s Manon Bannerman, South Korea’s Yoonchae Jeong and from the Philippines, Sophia Laforteza.
“We all had such unique and different journeys around this, which is so special, because it’s like we all come from so many different places, and so it was a big culture shock to all of us,” she said of what she learned from documentary-making process during an interview with HypeBae.
She continued, “I feel like we all learned how to truly open up our hearts and learn about so many new things. For example, I came in as a vocalist, but I needed more dance training, and so a lot of the journey was kind of like opening my mind up to all of these things that I couldn’t understand about my body and like moving in it. And for some people, they focus a lot on their vocals. And we also opened our hearts to each other’s cultures, which is so awesome. We had literally every single flavor of the world in this whole program. So it was really cool to see that, but it really opened our eyes, and we just learned so much.”
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