Laura Pieri — better

Brazilian pop artist Laura Pieri has just released her debut EP Frankie. The 4-track EP tells the stories of different characters, inspired by stories like Frankenstein, Suspiria and Persephone.

“The EP was born out of a transitional phase for me. I was mourning what I believed was me needing to give up on my career. I had felt that walking away was a necessity, and instead set my goals into pivoting into academia with corporate America as the end goal. However, leaving one male dominated field for another and feeling similar feelings come up made me see I was trying to run away from ghosts. Instead of running, I sat with them, and from that the story of Frankie, a woman reclaiming her voice and power, was born,” she explains.

The EP was created with an all-female team of songwriters, including LA-based artist/producer Skyler Cocco as the executive producer.

Frankie is now available everywhere.

Hi Laura, how are you? What's your story?

Hiii ! I am good thank you so much for asking. My story really depends at what point you want to start, but in a nutshell, I follow my curiosity. I was born and raised in Brazil and always wanted to be an artist. I moved to the US at around 16 because I had my sights set on attending Gallatin at NYU, where my studies concentrated on Evil. I was always really passionate about programs like that where you really get to make the most out of it and kind of tailor your research and studies to the things that make you curious. I mean, it’s not everywhere you get to make your own major.

You're getting ready to release your new EP Frankie - how does it feel like to release this project?

Unreal. This project means the absolute world to me. I have been so excited to share this and it’s been mine for over a year now. Working on it was very meditative and also therapeutic and cathartic and now getting to share it and see the reactions and responses is so insane it’s hard to describe.

When did you start working on this project? What's the inspiration behind Frankie?

So this has been a project that has been really in the works for a while. It all started when I re-read one of my favorite books, Frankenstein, and felt so unexplainably connected to the story, way more than any other previous read. I was sitting with the themes of the book, and I had felt like an out of place outsider for so long, where the world has tried to make me fit into many different boxes as a way to identify and define me and I never wanted that for myself. That led me to other stories that really inspired it like the little mermaid, or the myth of the goddess Persephone. I pulled from all of those stories and the common through line is that we are always a multitude of things, not whatever anyone else defines us as, and that there is power in embracing that.

Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this EP? Who helped you create it?

I love to work collaboratively. Each project is different for me, so for this project specifically, after I had the stories in mind I brought in Skyler Cocco who was perfect for this project to help me flesh out the tracks, and she brought in Libby Larkin and DEZI who were incredible songwriters for one of the tracks. It was really important to me that this project was entirely led by women, so from there I looped in Gaby from Cake Studio and we began working on the visuals. For me, visual and sonic components are very intertwined, and I like to have a very involved hand in both.

What different topics are you talking about on this project?

I like to see it more as phases, it starts with disillusionment and entrapment, then into rage and destruction and concludes in self acceptance and self love.

Any favorite memories from the making of this EP?

Writing Goddess Energy with DEZI, Libby Larkin and Skyler Cocco was a lot of fun. They are incredible writers, and alums from NYU too!

What did you feel when recording "Come Clean"?

Come Clean is the more personal track, for me. All the other songs are very much tied to the narrative of this project, whereas Come Clean I really feel like it's more Laura speaking than Frankie. I spent a lot of time blaming myself for blowing up and burning a few bridges along the way. Writing and recording Come Clean was that moment where I really looked back and had to accept that sometimes changing skin can be violent, but that it doesn’t make it any less necessary. Whatever it took, it made me who I am today and for that I am grateful.

What message do you want to deliver through this project? What do you want people to feel when listening to it?

Outgrowing ourselves, our circles and environments is a natural part of the process. We all move forward somehow, some way, and it's always bittersweet. I want people to feel, wherever they are in that process, to feel seen and embraced.

What can you tell us about the artwork?

The cover for Frankie echoes the beginning of this journey. In the photo I am underwater, either about to drown or break the surface, which really encapsulates the project’s energy and message.

How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What advice would you give to women out there?

Uhm, it's both the best and the not. There’s something about it that’s fantastic, which is the community. I have had the pleasure of working with brilliant women, and I think that there is a kind of sensitivity to how women see things that are unique and special. The things that we pay attention to, for example. And because every single woman I know and have worked with has dealt with having to swim against the current it creates this kind of environment where it's like a safe space, where we all lived a shared reality, and that’s unique and special. As far as advice, I’d say, work with people you trust. If you walk into a room and no one there sees your perspective, it then inadvertently becomes your job to really honor that perspective. So stay true to yourself, advocate for yourself and speak up when your gut tells you to!

What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?

I love how much music there is out there. The barrier of entry for something like making music used to be so so high, you couldn’t do it without a fancy studio, or a label, and now a laptop, a simple set up and some good ideas is all you need. But in that same breath that also means it's incredibly more challenging, competitive and expensive to be an artist today. If I could change one thing I would choose to make touring and performing more accessible for smaller artists, or just in general more visibility for smaller, up and coming artists. A label has like 6,000 people around the clock working to push your music out, when you’re indie you have to do it all by yourself.

What does music make you feel?

Connected to the divine.

You are originally from Brazil. How does it impact the music you are making today?

I am still finding the balance, because I do want to honor my country but I grew up on American music and culture too, and I’m still learning how to balance that. But it’s home, and it’s in my bones, so inevitably it always ends up coming through in everything I do.

Could you list a few records that influenced the artist you are today?

Omg, Prince’s Purple Rain.. and the movie! Miley Cyrus’s discography but currently obsessed with Can’t Be Tamed, so many Bowie records, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. But even so I feel like I didn’t mention so many important ones!

What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?

We know nothing. There is always so much more to learn.

In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?

If we all took ourselves a little less seriously, and the serious things more seriously. I feel like we’ve been ignoring the climate crisis for years and it's hard to care about stuff when everything sucks and it feels like the whole world is up in flames. Plus, if people were less judgmental about having different opinions around, I think we’d see more diverse boards, more diverse leadership positions, and we’d all be inclined to care a little more about each other instead of worrying about people different than us.

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