Meet Lara Rajagopalan, or just Lara to her millions of fans, KATSEYE’s fearless main vocalist who’s redefining what it means to be a global pop idol. Born November 3, 2005, in Stamford, Connecticut, this 19-year-old grew up across Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York.
With an Indian mom, Sri Lankan dad, and deep Tamil roots, she is unapologetically brown, bold, and breaking barriers in an industry that’s finally making room for every girl’s story. Here’s everything you need to know about KATSEYE’s breakout star.
Lara Got Her Start On The Debut: Dream Academy
In 2023, Lara caught everyone’s eye on The Debut: Dream Academy, the global survival show that picked KATSEYE’s final lineup. She ranked 2nd among thousands of global hopefuls and secured her place in the final six-member lineup.
The group officially debuted on June 28, 2024, under HYBE and Geffen Records. Just a year into their debut, KATSEYE has scored two Billboard HOT 100 hits and landed an album in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.
She Was Featured in Michelle Obama’s Global Girls Alliance PSA
Before her idol days, Lara already had a taste of the spotlight. In 2018, she appeared in a special PSA video for Michelle Obama’s Global Girls Alliance, where she sang Aretha Franklin’s “Think.” Her small cameo amplified a big message: education for girls everywhere.
She Wears Her Heritage Loud and Proud with Her Bindi
One of Lara’s signatures is her bindi and Om necklace, which she wears onstage and in everyday life. For Lara, these aren’t just accessories. They are a statement that young brown girls can see their heritage as fashionable, modern, and worth celebrating. She has turned cultural pride into mainstream style and inspired other brown girls to do the same.
Lara Has the Most Tattoos Among KATSEYE Members
Lara is the most tattooed member of KATSEYE, with eight meaningful pieces of ink. Each tattoo tells her story:
- She has a small scorpion tattoo behind her ear to represent her Scorpio sun sign.
- A “ZZZ” on her ring finger as a sweet tribute to her three cats.
- On her hand, she has stars arranged like the Taurus constellation in memory of her late grandmother, done by Tyler Dillon at The Fig Leaf Tattoo in LA.
- She inked “Love is life and life is free” on her wrist, a line from her favorite Erykah Badu song, done in the handwriting of her two best friends.
- She has “Habibi” on her forearm as a matching tattoo with her family since the word means “my love.”
- The word “Paranji” on her shoulder is her grandfather’s name written in Tamil.
- She has a Scorpio symbol on her ribs as another nod to her star sign.
- She also has “April V” in Roman numerals on her ribs to mark her older sister Rhea Raj’s birthday on April 5.
She Came Out as Queer in Her Own Words
In March 2025, Lara made headlines by coming out as queer in a Weverse post to fans. In her words, she’s “half a fruitcake,” a playful, loving way to share her identity.
She added, “I knew I was half fruitcake when I was like 8, so I really was wanting everybody. Honestly, probably before 8. Isn’t ‘half fruitcake’ such a good way to explain it without saying it?”
Lara Raj Has Faced Racism
After KATSEYE dropped their new song ‘Gnarly’, member Lara went live to chat with fans but faced a hurtful comment comparing her to the creepy character ‘Momo’.
The remark upset Lara and worried fans, but her bandmates quickly stepped in. Manon called out the rude commenter, saying, “That’s so stupid. I want to see what you look like, dumb***,” while Daniela comforted Lara with a supportive hug.
On the work front, KATSEYE has taken over the music scene with the release of the album “Beautiful Chaos,” featuring tracks like “Gnarly,” “Gabriela,” “Gameboy,” and more.