Rhea Rajagopalan[2] (born April 5, 2000), known professionally as Rhea Raj, is an American singer-songwriter.[3] She is a Songwriters Hall of Fame winner for 2020, and is the Spotify x Gold HouseArtist of the Year winner for 2023, an initiative to increase Asian talent in the music industry.[4] She released her debut album, Hunter, in 2024.
Rhea was born in Stamford, Connecticut, to Indian parents, Kavita Raj and Sri Rajagopalan. Her parents are both ethnically Tamil.[3] She grew up in Plano, Texas[5] and New Jersey before moving to New York. Her mother taught Indian classical music and Indian dance, which led Rhea to begin her interest in music.[6] She has been musically trained since age 10.[6][7]
Raj appeared in the fifteenth season of American Idol in 2016. She progressed from the audition stage but failed to pass the Hollywood Week round due to a throat infection.[2][10]
2024–present: Hunter
In 2024, Raj released her debut studio album, Hunter,[11][3][12] and a stripped down version of it called Hunter (Tamed edition).[13] In April 2025, Raj performed at Coachella.[14] The next month, she performed at Wango Tango in Santa Monica.[15]. In August 2025, she performed at Lolapallooza.
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