The World is Invited to Be the Additional Haim Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're interviewing Haim?" a text pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their extra sister."
There is only a key snag: The author likewise wants to be the Haims' additional sibling. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Several famous fans have publicly coveted the position.
The evidence suggests a special quality is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their path performing shows at small eateries with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy Award contenders.
Like all the greatest ensembles, they're a close unit. Their visuals frequently show them striding in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such boundless joy you inevitably think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'After your show, I picked up a drum kit'," states Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That's the ultimate compliment. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire young girls to start a band."
"And thus everyone are welcome to be the fourth part of the family."
Award Recognition
The group are speaking from a break, where they're resting up after an major tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in consideration for the award.
"I follow the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The weight of the honor resonates with the trio.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant achievement," continues Alana. "However we're just thankful for the female artists that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Laughter
The album came out of a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music explores that odd liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.
The words follow departures and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they want to be.
"I love way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to actively work on shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Development of Music
That recent toughness required a different sonic direction – more organic and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that started with the drums.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I care so much about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Humor
The band's openness inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their dating misadventures.
One man broke up with Este over a health consideration. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"During these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Future
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their standing in the rock pantheon.
They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide audience.
But the sister act will always be their primary priority.
"We have been performing since I was a young child," shares Alana. "There is no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still kicking."