Wednesday (Sept. 23) brought proof of Lara Raj’s long-standing affection for Camila Cabello, when the KATSEYE member posted a selfie with the “Havana” singer to her Instagram Story. In the candid photo, Raj is grinning while sporting a pair of sunglasses, with Cabello resting her head on Raj’s shoulder. The sweet snapshot is captioned, “My big sissy forever.”.
The photo doesn’t provide any clues about where or why the pair linked up, but the bond runs deeper than a casual meet-up. Raj revealed in August on the Nicky at Night podcast that Cabello’s 2018 hit “Never Be the Same” was a reference behind the writing and production of KATSEYE’s song “Unloveu.” That connection gives the selfie a context that goes beyond a simple picture.
The Sister Bond
The group’s language stays consistent throughout — “big sissy” and “older sister” both describe the same relationship, just from opposite sides — and Raj isn’t the only KATSEYE member who has spoken warmly about Cabello. In an interview with Complex back in 2025, member Sophia Laforteza deemed Cabello everyone’s “older sister.”.
Raj has now made public a personal connection to Cabello’s music, and “Never Be the Same” is a song that holds particular weight for her.
What “Never Be the Same” Did
“Never Be the Same” was released in 2017 as part of Cabello’s debut solo album Camila. It went on to become one of the singer’s biggest solo hits. The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2018 and also topped Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart.
The figures themselves speak to the song’s reach: its sales performance was real, but the record also became something more than a hit. It served as a touchstone for Raj and the rest of KATSEYE, an anchor point that went beyond simple commercial achievement.
How the Pieces Connect
Here’s how the pieces connect:
- Cabello releases “Never Be the Same” in 2017.
- The song becomes a hit, peaking at No. 6 on the Hot 100 and topping Pop Airplay.
- Raj reveals in August on Nicky at Night that the song inspired “Unloveu.”
- Laforteza calls Cabello everyone’s “older sister” in the 2025 Complex interview.
- Raj posts the selfie on Instagram Story with the caption “My big sissy forever.”
The group’s third EP, WILD, arrived last month with a Target-exclusive version carrying “Unloveu”. The project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earning the group their first No. 1 on the chart.
Raj is more than a fan of Cabello — she constructed her own track based on Cabello’s material, and she has spoken openly about it. The selfie itself is a straightforward expression of fondness, and its caption “My big sissy forever” serves as a declaration of that connection.
Source material: “KATSEYE’s Lara Raj Shares Sweet Selfie With Camila Cabello: ‘My Big Sissy Forever’,” Billboard.
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