Pianist Chloe Flower on Embracing What Makes Her Unique — and What She Learned from Cardi B

"My album is like an invitation to get to know me. That's why I called it Chloe Flower," Chloe Flower tells PEOPLE exclusively

Photo: Shervin Lainez

You might remember her from Cardi B's 2019 Grammys performance — and now this fierce pianist is taking the world by storm.

Chloe Flower, a 36-year-old professional pianist who released her first album, Chloe Flower, last month, says she unintentionally created her own genre of music after never feeling like she "fit into traditional classical music."

"I don't fit into traditional classical crossover music, I don't fit into traditional dance instrumental music and I don't fit into pop music," Flower tells PEOPLE exclusively.

To Flower, the mix of classical music, classical solo piano music, trap beats and cinematic on her new album "sounds like her" — and that's exactly why she released a self-titled body of work.

"My album is like an invitation to get to know me," says Flower, who adds that she also strives to prove that classical music isn't just background music or something to fall asleep to.

"It can be fun. You can exercise to it. You can listen to it. You can experience it in the same way you experience pop music with lyrics. It's just as beautiful, and it's just as deep and just as innovative," says the musician.

Aside from her musical endeavors, Flower is also utilizing her platform to advocate for music education programs in schools and anti-human trafficking, something she realized goes hand in hand with her work.

"I realized that music education is a tool of prevention against human trafficking. When you start to look at all the reasons why people enter the trafficking world, whether it's on the demand or supply side, you see reasons like lack of identity, lack of community, lack of self-esteem, lack of dignity [and] poverty," says Flower.

"Music education programs have the ability to provide those things. It brings communities together," she continued.

When it comes to her extravagant performance wardrobe, the pianist says she loves to express herself through fashion. Because her music doesn't have lyrics, she utilizes fashion "to give additional feeling to the song."

Chloe Flower | CREDIT: SHERVIN LAINEZ. Shervin Lainez

On a regular day, however, you can find the fashionista in a tube top, sweats and sneakers. Since her performance clothes can feel physically restrictive, Flower says she "loves to be comfortable."

While she has lost touch with Cardi B since their Grammys performance, Flower says she "definitely wants to work with her again."

Looking back at their time working together, Flower says Cardi B taught her something valuable that she's carried with her since.

"Any artist who's sharing the same stage with Cardi B, to have her be so generous, that just shows you the kind of person she is," says Flower. "She wants the best possible outcome, rather than ego."

Aside from her album, some of Flower's most recent compositions were featured on Kevin Hart's Hart to Heart show.

The star — who will be releasing a remixed track with Dionne Warwick from Chloe Flower — has continued improv-ing on Instagram and is currently working on two songs set for release in the fall.