KATSEYE singer Lara Raj has revealed the Grammy-nominated girl group have been targeted with death threats and racist harassment.
The 20-year-old singer, who is of Tamil Indian heritage and a US citizen, said she’s been overwhelmed by the scale of the abuse.
She told BBC News: “I try to tell myself it doesn’t matter, but if 1,000 people are sending you death threats, it’s jarring.
“Even if it’s not going to happen, it’s heavy.”
Raj also disclosed that she was falsely reported to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with claims that she was “working and residing in the United States without legal authorisation.”
In response to the online abuse, Raj has stepped back from social media.
She said: “I deleted Twitter (now-X).
“I realised I am not the audience for other people’s opinions.”
KATSEYE, who are nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys, have not detailed the specific nature of the threats.
The girls recently expressed that their biggest goal is to make a “genuine impact on culture” and “change pop music”.
The Los Angeles-based K-pop-style girl group – who formed on the reality show Dream Academy in 2023 – recently made their live debut in the UK, with an intimate concert at London’s Exhibition White City as part of an exclusive fan showcase.
Sophia said the girl group – completed by Daniela, Manon, Megan, and Yoonchae – want people from across the world to “feel seen”.
She was quoted by The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column as saying: “Making a genuine impact on culture is our biggest goal – that being representation and changing pop music.
“A big thing about us is being versatile. We switch it up with every project we put out. Even on each EP, every song is different and that is important to us.
“I like putting our cultures into each one of our songs, like we did on Gabriela – we want to put in our own languages, make people feel seen and be the representation that we never had.”
KATSEYE’s members come from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland and the US.
After making their triumphant debut in the UK, the girls hinted they would be back “soon”.
They told the 800 attendees at the showcase: “We can’t believe that this is our first show in the UK, you guys’ energy has been beyond incredible, it’s been so amazing!”. They follow on, “Thank you so much for coming out to see us, we’ll definitely be back soon, we love the UK.”
Until they make their return to the UK, KATSEYE are set to embark on their upcoming US tour later this year.
