Rhea Raj

Rhea Raj
Born	Rhea Rajagopalan (2000-04-05) April 5, 2000 (age 24) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupations	Singer songwriter
Years active	2014–present
Relatives	Lara Raj (sister)
Musical career
Genres	Pop electropop dance music [1]
Instrument	Vocals
Website	rhearaj.com

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 House Artist of the Year winner for 2023, an initiative to increase Asian talent in the music industry. ^[4] She appeared in the tenth season of American Idol in 2016 ^{[2] [5]} Her debut album, Hunter, released in 2024. ^{[6] [3]}

Early life

Rhea was born in Stamford, Connecticut, to an Indian mother, Kavita Raj and Sri Lankan father, Sri Rajagopalan. Her parents are both ethnically Tamil. ^[3] She grew up in New Jersey before moving to New York. Her mother taught Indian classical music and Bollywood dance, which led Rhea to begin her interest in music. ^[7] She has been musically trained since age 10. ^{[7] [8]}

Her younger sister is Lara Raj, singer, producer, and member of the Los Angeles based girl group Katseye. ^{[9] [10]}

Discography

Studio albums

• Hunter (2024)

Singles

• “2AM” (with UpsideDown) ^[7] (2019)
• “Royalty” (with UpsideDown and Happy Singh) ^[7] (2019)
• “You're a Star” ^[7] (2019)
• “Need Me” (with UpsideDown and Happy Singh) ^[7] (2019)
• “Overdose” ^[7] (2020)
• “Go Down” ^[7] (2020)
• “We Outside” ^[7] (2022)

References

1. "International sensation Rhea Raj making wonders with her enchanting voice across the globe". bollywoodchronicle.com/. Archived from the original on 2020-03-23.
2. "'American Idol' Recap: Fourth Night of Auditions Returns to Little Rock and Denver". Billboard. 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
3. Reeta (2019-06-01). "The "2 AM" singer Rhea Raj is Indian by birth". Tellyexpress. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
4. Kim, Regina. "10 Rising AAPI Artists You Need to Know". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone . Retrieved 5 January 2025.
5. "Ex American Idol Contestant Rhea Raj Talks New Music, Feminism and More!". Urban Asian. 2018-04-17. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
6. "Royalty By UpsideDown, Happy Singh & Rhea Raj Will Make You Shake A Leg". Urban Asian. 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
7. Glamsham (23 March 2020). "Rhea Raj, surely is a one of a kind artist of today's time". Glamsham. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
8. "A blend of music and dance.. Rhea Raj, surely is a one of a kind artist of today's time". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
9. "Meet Lara Raj". Voyage LA Magazine. 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
10. "Filipina Sophia Laforteza joins girl group KATSEYE under BTS agency". Philstar.com. 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-11-24.