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Lara Raj may just be the desi pop baddie you’ve been waiting for
Raj burst onto the scene with The Debut: Dream Academy, Netflix’s 2023 documentary chronicling the group’s rise and debut EP, Soft Is Strong. Alongside bandmates Manon Bannerman, Sophia Megan, Megan Skiendiel, Jeong Yoon-chae and Daniela Avanzini, she became part of a group that wouldn’t just go on to break records; it would break moulds. A multicultural pop group rooted in individuality—Lara Raj is Indian, Bannerman was born to Swiss Italian and Ghanian parents, Megan is from the Philippines, Skiendiel is Chinese Singaporean, Yoon-chae was born in Korea and Avanzini is Venezuelan Cuban—Katseye stands out not by erasing differences but by spotlighting them. “I wear my culture proudly. It’s never muted,” Lara beams, her bindi, nose ring and winged eyeliner adding up to small but potent declarations of her identity.
Soft Is Strong introduced Katseye to the world but their new EP, Beautiful Chaos, lives up to its name. Their latest single, ‘Gnarly,’ is punchy satire wrapped in distorted vocals and a bassline that demands movement. The choreography? Manic. “We were screaming when we heard it, then totally confused,” Raj laughs.
Fans were equally thrown. In 24 hours, the internet scrambled to unpack Katseye’s shift from pastel softness to wild club girl energy. The girls anticipated confusion. “We were actually trolling each other with hate comments on our group chat after the drop,” Raj grins. There’s something endearing about these Gen Z pop girls sticking together in the eye of the storm instead of going full Pussycat Dolls or Fifth Harmony. When I ask about their bond, the singer’s face lights up. “We have our own secret language and are woven into every part of each other’s lives. I always dreamed of a big friend group of girls. Now I have that.”
