Before she even hit her late 20s, singer Cady Groves has overcome a slew of challenges. She’s dealt with the death of her two brothers, one of whom was her mentor. She’s been heartbroken over past lovers. And she’s overcome speedbumps in her music career; she was signed to RCA and left them to be independently represented by Vel Records. Throughout it all, she’s kept faith in herself and her talent. You could say Grove knows what she’s singing about intimately in “Dreams,” the title track of her EP (which comes out on Oct. 2). Of the super upbeat, catchy pop song, she's said, “No matter what life throws at you, you can dream a dream and make it come true!”

Hometown: Marlow, Oklahoma

Homebase: I actually just left Los Angeles to get back to my roots — I moved back home!

Your career has had a lot of ups and downs. You've dealt with the death of your brothers and leaving a major label, among other things. What's your big takeaway from all the challenges you've had to face?

I’d be lying if I said it didn't almost kill me. But it also made me live. If there's anything that can teach you to appreciate every single second of life, it is watching someone lose theirs.

When did you realize you wanted to be a singer and performer?

I realized I wanted to sing when I was 10 years old and I used to sing (Christina Aguilera’s) “Genie in a Bottle” over and over in my room. (My mom still swears if she hears that song again she's gonna lose it!) I went outside and told my mom, "Mom, I’m gon' be famous!" And that was really it.

Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?

The first song I ever wrote is called "Refrain" and I was 18. Andy, my first boyfriend broke my little heart. It's so emo and you can go listen to it on iTunes and cry with me!

Who are your musical heroes?

Alanis Morissette is my hero. Because who really communicates feelings as well as her?!

Your EP Dreams comes out next month. What are the themes you were working on for it?

They are so across the board. You get everything from happy to crying to bratty to happy again!

Do you have a special songwriting process? How do you write songs?

My songwriting process is very simple. First someone pisses me off. Then I walk into a writing session and scream. Then I cut the vocal and feel a lot better about life, to be honest.

What instruments do you play?

Growing up I played drums and piano. Also, I don't want to brag, but I play a mean recorder. I really want to pick up a harmonica in the near future though!

How big a part does social media play in your music or in your life as a musician?

Actually social media was everything for me — Myspace in particular. Myspace got me a record deal, a big chunk of my fan base, and a ton of friends I could never replace. It was my only source of social media for a long time!

Do you have any crazy fan stories to tell?

One time during a show a dude took his shirt off and had "I love Cady Groves" written across his prepubescent body. And I was like, "Hey bud, this is an acoustic show."

Describe your music to people who haven't heard it before.

I don't try to describe my music to people. I just tie them down and force them to listen to it!