Rhea Raj

Last updated

Rhea Raj
Born
Rhea Rajagopalan

(2000-04-05) April 5, 2000 (age 25)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2014–present
Relatives Lara Raj (sister)
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
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 released her debut album, Hunter, in 2024.

Contents

Early life

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]

Her younger sister, Lara, is also a singer, and is part of girl group Katseye. [8] [9]

Career

2016: American Idol

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.

Discography

Studio albums
Singles

References

  1. "International sensation Rhea Raj making wonders with her enchanting voice across the globe". bollywoodchronicle.com/. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "'American Idol' Recap: Fourth Night of Auditions Returns to Little Rock and Denver". Billboard. January 14, 2016. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Reeta (June 1, 2019). "The "2 AM" singer Rhea Raj is Indian by birth". Tellyexpress. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  4. Kim, Regina. "10 Rising AAPI Artists You Need to Know". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on January 5, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  5. "Meet Rhea Raj - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Glamsham (March 23, 2020). "Rhea Raj, surely is a one of a kind artist of today's time". Glamsham. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  7. "A blend of music and dance.. Rhea Raj, surely is a one of a kind artist of today's time". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  8. "Meet Lara Raj". Voyage LA Magazine. July 30, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  9. "Filipina Sophia Laforteza joins girl group KATSEYE under BTS agency". Philstar.com. November 21, 2023. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  10. "Ex American Idol Contestant Rhea Raj Talks New Music, Feminism and More!". Urban Asian. April 17, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  11. "Royalty By UpsideDown, Happy Singh & Rhea Raj Will Make You Shake A Leg". Urban Asian. June 10, 2019. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  12. Mier, Tomás (June 27, 2024). "Rising Pop Star Rhea Raj Dances Through a Moody Sci-Fi World in Flirtatious Video for 'Hush'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  13. "Year of the Hunter". Harper's Bazaar Việt Nam. December 4, 2024. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  14. Campbell, Erica. "Coachella Backstage Interviews 2025 - PAPER Magazine". Paper Mag.
  15. Teti, Julia (May 12, 2025). "iHeartRadio's Wango Tango: Meghan Trainor, Gwen Stefani, Doja Cat and More Celebrity Style". WWD.