Lara Raj From Dream Academy Trainee to Unstoppable Pop Icon
The internet can’t stop talking about Lara Raja’s glow-up. People didn’t expect that the baby-faced trainee would transform into one of the most adored and confident members of KATSEYE.
But how did she go from a kid on a competition show to a rising global pop star?
Born Lara Rajagopalan in Connecticut, she grew up between Dallas and New York City. Her parents, who are both Tamil Indian immigrants, always supported her creativity.
By the time she was a teen, Lara was already performing at local venues.
She appeared in commercials and even got featured in Michelle Obama’s Global Girls Alliance campaign.
To pursue her dreams, Lara attended the Professional Performing Arts School in LaGuardia High School, where she trained in singing, dancing, and acting.
But her big break didn’t end there. Come until 2023 when she auditioned for the debut Dream Academy, a global reality competition to form a new international girl group.
Out of 120,000 applicants worldwide, Lara stood out immediately.
“The girls are improving, but we need a vocalist that will sell out the stadium.”
Week after week, she proved she was a star. And when the show ended, she finished in second place, securing her spot in the final lineup of KATSEYE. Alongside the praise, she faced her first wave of controversy.
Some viewers labeled her a mean girl after the show’s editing painted her as overly competitive.
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Clips of her laughing during a tense moment went viral, sparking debate online, but most fans dismissed the claims and Lara kept proving her haters wrong.
After Dream Academy, KATSEYE blew up. Their second EP, Beautiful Chaos, released in June 2025, dominated streaming charts across the world.
They won their first MTV VMA, and just five months later, they were nominated for two Grammys, including Best New Artist.
Lara Raj Is More Than a Pop Star
In March 2025, she came out as queer in a heartfelt post on Weverse, writing that she’d known she was half a fruitcake since she was 8 years old. The post went viral instantly, earning millions of likes and praise from LGBTQ plus and South Asian fans, who finally saw themselves represented in global pop.
She’s since been featured in Vogue India and a major 2025 Gap campaign, that racked up over 8 billion social media impressions.
But like many stars who rise fast, she’s also faced hate. In June 2025, an online user even filed a false report to iTunes. claiming she was an illegal immigrant. It was quickly proven false. She’s American-born, but it showed just how ugly the internet can be when women of color succeed.
In November 2025, she found herself in the headlines again, this time for a Diwali outfit that divided the internet. Some called it too flashy. Others said it was tacky.
But through it all, Lara Raj keeps being bold and being herself, as she and her girls are currently touring for KATSEYEe’s first sold-out world tour.
From a teenager in Dallas with a dream to a global pop breaking barriers for South Asian and Queer artists, Lara Raj’s story is still being written.
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