All Fans Are Encouraged to Join as the Extra Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"When are you interviewing Haim?" a message arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can become their extra sister."
However, there remains one problem: The author likewise wants to be Haim's additional sibling. What's more, we are in plentiful company. A host of famous supporters have also coveted the position.
It's clear a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their career playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their parents. Today, they are multi-time Grammy nominees.
Like all the greatest groups, they're a tight-knit trio. Their visuals repeatedly depict them walking in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such boundless happiness you find yourself thinking, "I want to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That is the biggest honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage people to start a band."
"And thus everyone are welcome to be the fourth Haim sister."
Historic Recognition
The band are speaking from a break, where they're recovering after an major tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in consideration for the trophy.
"I tune into the nominations every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," says Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The significance of the accolade resonates with the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant milestone," continues Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the pioneers that came before us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The project came out of a period of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that strange transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.
The lyrics track endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them working out in real life who they aspire to be.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to make an effort in shutting out the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Style
That recent confidence required a fresh approach – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the percussion.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our biography," jokes Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Laughter
The band's candor inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their romantic misadventures.
A former partner ended things with Este over a health concern. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"When you're going through these breakups, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
An Assured Future
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their position in the music world.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an global following.
But the band will consistently be their number one commitment.
"We have been making music since I was little," says Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."