Everyone Are Encouraged to Be the Extra Haim Sisters Sister.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the band?" a message pops up. "My request was to ask if I can become their newest bandmate."
There is only one problem: I also desires to be the Haims' additional sibling. Furthermore, we are far from alone. A host of celebrated fans have openly coveted the role.
It's clear something is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their career doing sets at neighborhood delis with their parents. Today, they are repeated Grammy contenders.
In the tradition of the greatest groups, they're a tight-knit unit. Their videos frequently feature them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such unfettered joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I picked up a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the greatest honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage people to make music."
"Therefore anyone gets an invitation to be the fourth Haim sister."
Award Nod
The group are speaking from home, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're right now reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first all-woman band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I watch the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," explains Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I dreaming'?"
The importance of the honor is deeply felt by the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a huge step," continues Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the pioneers that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The record was born from a time of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The words track endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they aspire to be.
"That's a perfect description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to actively work on blocking the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Sound
That developed resilience demanded a new sound – more raw and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the percussion.
"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Laughter
The band's openness shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their personal horror stories.
One man ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Legacy
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their standing in the industry.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide audience.
However Haim will forever be their primary focus.
"We have been playing music since I was four," concludes Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still going strong."