15 Things You Need To Know About Celeb Dating App Raya

Shhh! There is a secret world of celebrity dating that A-Listers don't want us normals to know about. A brand new dating app called Raya, that is so exclusive we have had to do some serious digging to find out exactly what happens behind the scenes.

The world discovered this hidden, secret dating club when Kelly Osbourne's profile on the app was leaked online. This caused everyone to ask - what is Raya and how the hell do we get a slice of the action? However, it's not that easy, known as the "Illuminati Tinder" users can't just pay up and start matching with celebs, as instead you have to either be invited or selected by a top secret committee.

Mashable reported that digital dating has almost tripled in the past three years for those aged 18-24 and Tinder users are swiping right and left more than 1.4 billion times every day. So, of course, it's a great time for celebs to get in on the action and Raya has proved very popular. Here is everything you need to know about this latest dating trend.

15 Membership Is Decided By A Secret Committee

If you want to become a member of Raya then the process is quite complicated. There is a completely secret and anonymous committee who grants permission for members to join once they have completed a lengthy application process.

Members can also be recommended via their own friends on the app but even that proves exclusive. Writer Alix Fox told Look magazine she did some research and spoke to a 26-year-old model and painter from LA named Jenna who revealed, "She doesn't recommend people she doesn't know personally, objecting that 'otherwise Raya might become less of a private community and fill up with trashy autograph hunters.'"

Jenna also added, "I've dated several high-flying bachelors and celebs through Raya, including a famous actor and the son of a big American politician, and my friend claims she's chatted to (Ellie Goulding's ex) DJ Skrillex. Profiles show photo slideshows set to music. One well-known singer uses his own tracks - cringe!" It appears even the rich and famous can get online dating wrong.

14 Users Must Have A Cool Or Creative Job

Raya users must have a profession or some form of career that's worth bragging about. Acceptable job titles include: famous nightclub DJ, advertising executive, international model, performer, musician or record label boss. Keeping the crème de la crème of professionals on the app allows Raya to keep the A-Lister subscriptions up high.

Business rating website Best Company online argued this kind of attitude came across as too 'elitist' for many potential users. They claimed, "The app has been criticized for being too exclusive. Raya wants to market to 'famous people' and has been known to give off an elitist vibe." Best Company also added the reasoning behind this procedure was so that Raya could: "Foster a place where creatives can connect on a quality level. Each person is selected for a reason, and everyone is verified as real before acceptance. Members do not have to worry about getting spammed or running into fake accounts. Raya makes sure it is not a place for 'catfishing'".

True enough as those who don't move in circles considered the 'elite' would not have heard of Raya. Remaining exclusive is part of the company's overall niche and it doesn't look like they are changing their initiation process anytime soon.

13 Users Must Have A Big Instagram Following

Another huge rule of Raya is that every applicant must have a big Instagram following. Raya's team evaluates applicants by an algorithm of their own. The main important factors are: Overall Instagram influence, the Instagram influence of who recommended their application, and how many active Raya members follow the applicant on Instagram.

We aren't talking 5,000 or even 50,000 followers here would cut it on Raya - the ideal following to be allowed on their app would be 250,000+. This also allows the committee to decide if you are hot enough as they trawl through all the images on your timeline. Once accepted users create their own 'stories' , they can start to pick their best images for their profiles and add music to the slideshow.

Making sure there is a certain 'quality' to their users also keeps the premium subscription rates up. Although the bad news is that the app is not compatible with Android users - so iPhones only!

12 Users Aren't Matched Together

Despite Raya having an algorithm that decides if you are hot enough to join, there is no algorithm to match couples together like most other dating apps. Usually, users can be matched up based on their location, sexual preference, hobbies and career goals - however, with Raya, it appears you just have hours of headhunting to get through if you want relationship success.

With the lack of personality quizzes or compatibility tests available, it proves that Raya could be swaying more towards the superficial side as users judge each other primarily on looks.

Psychologist Randi Gunther, author of Rediscovering Love, told Psychology Today, "The result of these new dating patterns is that most people involved in them for any length of time have become superbly good at the game. They've become adept at keeping things in the moment, superficially satisfying, and not getting in too deep. Unfortunately, this practice of no-loss superficial-risk relationship behavior seems to me to be ultimately self-destructive. The “true” person we are inside, the person we hold on to as being capable of deeper love may have become atrophied, no longer able to emerge as a deep, caring, courageous, and open partner."

11 The App Was Launched By A Celeb

One-time actor Jesse Johnson, son of Don Johnson and Patti D'Arbanville, created Raya. He is also the brother of 50 Shades of Grey actress Dakota Johnson, although his sister has no plans to join the app. During a press tour for her movie How To Be Single she revealed, "My brother has this dating app called Raya. It's, like, really exclusive and you have to be accepted. My brother started it with some other people, I have no idea how it works and I refuse to be a part of it!"

Before creating Raya, Jesse had an unsuccessful movie career that started out in 2007 with the movie Redline - critics responded very negatively labeling it "idiotic". His next movie was an Australian budget horror Prey that had a limited release. Jake Wilson, film critic for The Age said it was: "A film that aims so low and fails so miserably deserves nothing but contempt". Hopefully, his venture out into the dating world will prove more successful than his brief acting career.

10 The App Is So Secret That Users Are Punished For Leaks

Kelly Osbourne's profile leak was quite the scandal for Raya as they always take extra measures to keep the app completely private. If you screenshot anyone's profile then expect to receive a lengthy message stating the rules and that this kind of behavior will see your profile permanently blocked if there is a repeat.

Celebrities have their own brand/image to protect and their PR team will fiercely guard this. If their personal dating profile gets out online then this could prove quite embarrassing for them.

Raya is determined to keep the app as secret and lucrative as possible. Writer Alice Hines told The Cut, "Most of the half-dozen Raya members I interviewed were skittish about publicly discussing the app, and preferred to remain anonymous. Raya's creators did not respond to requests for comment, and neither did representatives for any of the public figures whose names are cited in this story." No wonder they have earned themselves the name the "Illuminati Tinder."

9 The App Had Loads Of Celebs On Board

Labeling Raya as "THE celebrity dating app" is not just a gimmick the creators use but instead an actual fact - there are tons of celebs on Raya. DJ's Avicii, Diplo, Samantha Ronson, and Flume all have profiles alongside musicians Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and Moby. Other celebs confirmed to be on the app include Ruby Rose, Sharon Stone, Alexander Wang, Cody Simpson, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Elijah Wood, Trevor Noah, Teri Hatcher, Matthew Perry, and even Zach Braff. Think of all the Hollywood parties you could get into when it comes round to date night.

Celebrities enjoy dating online with even stars like Hilary Duff and Mariah Carey going public about being fans of Tinder. Although Tinder had introduced verified profiles for stars to join in the fun but many of them found the giant blue tick by their name very indiscreet. Amy Schumer summed up celebrity dating on her Comedy Central show when she joked, "People are like, 'Oh my God, that's so f****ng sad'. And you're like, 'You're right, I should die alone.'"

8 … And Joe Jonas!

During Alix Fox's investigation into Raya for Look magazine she revealed, "I have Instagram followers, but nowhere near the 3.3 million fans of rumored Raya player Joe Jonas. (Note: now he has 4.4 million!) And while JJ posts pics of himself on stage or at big-name bars, my recent images include a picture of me gurning with a mud mask on. I suspect Raya's gatekeepers rate cool, classy photos over silly snaps."

Joe Jonas is definitely one name every Raya player will be on the look out for. He has already had quite the lucrative love life after dating Taylor Swift for three months in 2008 before ending the relationship over the phone so he could start dating Camilla Belle. Jonas and Belle dated for a year before he hopped over to singer Demi Lovato. Then last year he began dating model and Taylor's BFF, Gigi Hadid. It's no surprise he's had to turn to dating apps to seek out a new relationship with his reputation of being quite the player on the LA scene.

7 Some Celebs Have Been Paid To Be There

Celebrity endorsements are powerful tools for any company. If you are lucky enough to make it through the strenuous application process then the fee for purchasing a six-month Raya subscription is between $7.99 or $9.99. Not too pricey but real A-Listers are given the option to completely skip the fee altogether.

The point of Raya is the more celebrity pulling power they have - the better time users have. One anonymous user told Alix Fox, "You see people who you would never go up to in public. But then they match with you and you're messaging. Or maybe (a celeb) profile shows up and you decide to reject them. It's a cool power."

As Euro Monitor online explained, "The phenomenal growth of social networking has also spawned a plethora of self-styled celebrities, who have made a name for themselves on video-sharing websites; sometimes without any discernible talent. Companies exploit the power of celebrities and employ them to advertise just about everything. As famous people are instantly recognisable and attract consumer interest, they can bring attention to a brand in a way that no other type of advertising can." Of course Raya wants to be exclusive - they are still a business and need people talking (just enough) about them to spread the word.

6 There Is Big Money In Online Dating

Although Raya launched in 2015, it didn't really pick up speed until 2016 when more users started to become familiar with the name. If they keep at it and stick to their exclusive ways, then the creators could be on to a real moneymaker.

MarketWatch.com reported, "The dating industry is now worth about $2.4 billion, with revenue split between advertising and subscription services. Of that, around $1.1 billion is from online dating, $576 million is from mobile apps such as Grindr and Tinder, and the rest is made up mainly of matchmakers and singles events."

It's big business the art of online dating but if you can find a way to target some of the richest people in the world then you are in for double success. Celebrities are scared of sex scandals or their personal life leaking online so it's not so easy for them to meet people in bars or at parties - the cost of finding true love is always a lot higher for them.

5 Raya Is Not The Only Exclusive A-List App

Here's the thing - Raya is not the first exclusive dating app to come on the scene as many have tried it before. Sparkology is another luxury matchmaking service for "well-intentioned men and women," where users are all verified graduates of top-tier schools. Luxy is another exclusive app that only allows wealthy members to come on board - keeping the gates closed to all the poor people. Hanky is a gay-member only app that strives to only let big name players in and "keeps the creeps out."

Raya's biggest competition is The League. Founded by Amanda Bradford, she explained to The Guardian, "The brand of The League is really for these ambitious driven, young professionals that want to date other ambitious, driven young professionals. Our requirements for women are just as rigorous as our requirements for men. The men know that women they meet in The League are career oriented, intelligent, ambitious and are working just as hard. That's the kind of ethos that we want our community to have." Sounds great but next to impossible to get into as the waiting list is currently 100,000 people long.

4 Some Dates Can Get Quite… Saucy

One Raya user who went by the name of "John" won't be forgetting his first Raya date in a hurry. He told Page Six that he met another user at her million-dollar New York apartment that had been paid for by her very rich parents who also owned a private jet and were close friends with a presidential candidate.

John recalls, "Within minutes, she got naked, handed me her phone and asked me to photograph her. She had floor-to-ceiling windows and her doorman was watching us from (the street)." He had to change names throughout the interview for fear of breaking Raya's strict discretion rules that are now beginning to come clear why they are in place.

Henry Lihn, a former Raya member, also leaked to Page Six, "(Raya has) got this whole 'Fight Club' vibe to it. They send out updates: You can't publicly out people, you can't screenshot. Really, the company is doing everything it can to create a disruptive exclusive experience."

3 The App Can Always Be Used For Exclusive Networking

For successful singles, the Raya app is perfect but for those who are already in relationships it's a great way to network with other fellow A-Listers. Star of popular YouTube series HelLa, Rory Uphold, told Fashion Magazine online, "I'm not going to lie, the men are hotter, for the most part, but when you get that many inventive or famous people who are looking for love in one place, things can get pretty interesting." As Rory's channel has been viewed more than 13 million times it's no surprise she managed to snap up a Raya membership straight away.

Nasty Gal editorial director Tiyana Grulovic also told Fashion Magazine, "I have enough fodder for at least a year's worth of jokes and I've been introduced to people on this that are in the same lane I am in so it can be seen as a networking experience too." She also spoke about her personal preference as she added, "I can take Drake or The Weeknd as a theme song, but I won't want to talk to you if you chose a Jack Johnson-ish track."

2 Users Shouldn't Expect Wedding Bells

Meeting the love of your life online isn't impossible - just a very low chance of success. Fact Tank online found: "5% of Americans who are in a marriage or committed relationship say they met their significant other online." Another fact that is against the celebs that do meet through Raya is that Hollywood marriages just never last.

Time magazine reported, "The central problem is that members of show business couples are competing in the same field, and their power balance keeps shifting as their careers wildly ebb and flow. When more jobs are coming in for one partner than the other, it takes all the selfless love in the world for the unemployed one to swell with unmitigated pride over the other's good graces. Add to this scenario the fact that stars are often apart for long stretches of time-usually with attractive, available people-and the temptation to stray is generally far higher than in a setup between two office workers."

1 Their Careers Benefit From Dating Other Celebs

So if the chance of true love is so low why do celebs bother with Raya at all? The truth is a celebrity romance is a money-spinner for any star. More commonly known as a "showmance" or a "Fauxmance", famous rumored examples of the past have been Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, and most recently Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston.

Tiyana Grulovic also told Fashion Magazine how thrilling it could be mingling with celebs on Raya too. She revealed, "You're not going to find the love of your life on Raya. (But) there are so many shirtless bros and actor guys looking for something else. There's nothing like swiping right or left at people like Joe Jonas, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Zach Braff and (Full House's) Bob Saget. It's hilarious."

Although she is right - it all really does sound like a lot of fun - we will all have to work on boosting our Instagram following up a bit more before we're considered for membership.