There’s a healthy dose of letting go on Soraï’s exuberant sophomore album, Millenium Star Diamant. On it, the Montréal beat-maker, singer, and rapper offers us a collection of 10 funny, raw, and provocative songs.
“Late night snack, I’m down whenever you’re hungry,” (translated freely) declares Soraï with contagious confidence on the aptly titled “LATENIGHTSNACK,” an irresistible electro-rap banger that barely clocks in at 90 seconds. “It’s literally JUST a song about snacks. I don’t see what you’re getting at,” Soraï replies with mock drama when we raise the double entendre.
In fact, the track reflects the free-spirited, candid vibe of this zero-compromises second album. “There are some pretty cocky songs where I hype myself up, but I’m not trying to boast or brag, I just want to boost people’s confidence,” says Soraï. “I want people to feel good being who they are. It’s a true safe space for those who want to re-connect with themselves – for anyone feeling alone or left out.”
The album also fulfills the queer artist’s personal need for affirmation. “I felt alone my whole life growing up,” she says. “Even now, I don’t see many people on TV who look like me. I didn’t have any queer role models around me when I was younger.”
Soraï’s “first major slap in the face” – in the best possible sense – came from Christine and the Queens. Discovering their music and androgynous style in the thick of her teenage years hit hard. “Christine (and the Queens) was the closest thing I’d ever seen to what I wanted to look like. I needed someone like that to look up to,” says the artist, who also cites Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Lorde, Little Simz, Chilla, Lous and the Yakuza, and – to a lesser extent – Justin Bieber as influences.
Riding the wave of that first big shock, Soraï picked up a guitar, started writing her first songs, and posted them to SoundCloud. She also performed at a few editions of Secondaire en spectacle. “I was trying all kinds of things, figuring myself out,” she says. “But clearly, I still don’t fully know who I am, because I keep changing styles.”
Select the image to access the video of the Soraï song “DOMMAGE:/”
There’s definitely a noticeable shift between the Soraï of 2024 and the 2025 version. Her debut album, Synesthésies, leaned into more subdued waters; closer to hip-hop shores than electro-pop waves. “I’m working in a space that’s less literal than before,” she says. “This project [Millenium Star Diamant] feels more like me, even if it’s way less serious. I didn’t want to over-think it too much. I just wanted to re-connect with the fun of making music. I did a few writing camps and started writing instinctively – just throwing a bunch of junk down to see what would come out. And in the end, a lot of that so-called junk stuck around. Writing quickly is a real challenge for me, so I’m really proud I let myself go with the flow.”
Soraï fine-tuned her songs alongside Robert Robert, the brilliant singer-songwriter who co-produced Millenium Star Diamant with her. “He was the one who slid into my DMs first, about five years ago,” she says. “He wanted me to be a musician on his tour. We became super-close friends and started making beats together, just for fun. Then, at some point, we decided to take it further and make a full album together.”
The two artists met for a few days to build the album, literally holed up in a small wooden studio built by Soraï’s father in Bromont, Québec. “We were cranking out heavy beats for 12 hours a day,” she says. “It was incredible. It changed everything.”
The singer and multi-instrumentalist then quietly wrapped up the album at home. A few tracks reflect this more introspective side, especially the title track, which cleverly nods to the millennium star, a diamond of exceptional purity. “It’s a shiny, prestigious diamond… but it’s shaped like a teardrop,” says Soraï. That image really speaks to me, because I’ve struggled my whole life to own who I am. But I’ve come to realize that all that sadness I’ve carried, I can turn it into something valuable.”