Laura Pieri has Big Sister Energy. She's the type who will nod her head while you're talking and lean in close to make sure she hears every word. If you ask her what her astrological sign is, she'll tell you to guess (in true Gemini fashion, ofc). And at 23 years old, she's taking the whole "living life to the fullest" energy to heart.

With a music career in full bloom and the world ahead of her, the Saõ Paulo, Brazil, native is all about accepting mistakes and doing what feels true to herself.

We sat down in an exclusive interview with Laura ahead of the release of her new single, Grenades (out today!), to chat about life, music, and how every experience leads to its own song (even when—spoiler!—you come to set to perform one song, only to switch to the one that feels right).

Girls' Life: Tell us a little about your singing/songwriting experience. How long have you been writing music?

Laura Pieri: That's a complicated question, because I was taking my time to find my sound out. I can't give you a day where it started—it's always been present in my life. From a passion seamlessly blended into a professional goal and the professional dream. But my music right now, Grenades, is my first stab at putting out something that I've participated in writing. I'm really enjoying the process of trying things out and seeing what fits, and sharing that process really publically.

GL: Yeah, it sounds like a really vulnerable thing to do. How are you feeling about Grenades' release?

LP: It's definitely a new kind of nervous, because if people don't resonate with the words, I feel like they won't resonate with my experience. But I feel like this is a universal experience—the experience of a bad break-up, a toxic person in your life. And it felt so unique, because I learned a lot of lessons from it. And now I look back with so much gratefulness because I grew so much.

GL: Can you tell us more about how your experience helped you write the song?

LP: I was forced to look at parts of me that I wasn't comfortable looking at, and that opened the door to writing in a really wonderful way. Because I guess I'm not as afraid to be as vulnerable and as open as I was.

When Grenades happened, I remember thinking, "I can't think about anything else but the way I'm feeling right now." And it bled into a song. It wasn't the thing I was trying to do, I didn't come out of it wanting to write a song, but the way I was feeling just bled into it. And I was like, "I guess I just have to be more honest with myself everywhere."

GL: And when you filmed the music video for Grenades, weren't you planning on a different song entirely?

LP: I was prepared to do a different song! I was supposed to put the final touches on a different song, we had a date set for a video for a different song...Everything changed in minutes. It was the night before the shoot, and we were still choosing outfits and sets for the first song. But my producer, he played Grenades, and we all sat in silence. And he puts down his phone and goes, "So how do you feel about doing this song instead?" And immediately I said, "Oh thank God you said that, I like this song so much more." It was very last minute, we were building the boat as we were navigating.

GL: A lot of your inspiration for Grenades came from a close personal relationship. Are there any other places you draw inspiration from?

LP: It's funny, I don't usually seek inspiration from my romantic life. I'm really just fascinated by connections—friends, family—and not to get philosophical, but just the process of going through life. I didn't ask to be born, I won't ask to die, but both will happen. So I love storytelling. All things come back to, "OK, but what story is here?"

GL: So what's next for you?

LP: The best answer is that Grenades is next for me. I really want to take the time to give this record the attention that it deserves, and then I'm still learning. So I can't really know what's next until it's here.