All Fans Are Invited to Be the Additional Haim Sisters Sister.
"Any idea when you're interviewing the band?" a message reads. "My request was to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There's just a single issue: I also longs to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're in plentiful company. A host of famous supporters have also coveted the role.
The evidence suggests something is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their family. Now they're multi-time Grammy contenders.
Similar to the greatest ensembles, they're a tight-knit unit. Their visuals often feature them marching in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such pure exuberance you inevitably think, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls came up to us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the ultimate honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire young girls to form a group."
"And thus anyone are welcome to be the next member of Haim."
Award Milestone
The band are speaking from home, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in contention for the prize.
"I follow the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the nomination is deeply felt by the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a huge achievement," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the female artists that came before us."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The album was born from a period of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music explores that odd transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not quite ready to let go.
The words follow breakups and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them working out in real time who they aspire to be.
"I adore description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a slogan. You have to make an effort in ignoring the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That newfound resilience called for a fresh approach – more organic and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that was founded on the drums.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Experiences and Shared Laughter
The trio's candor shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their romantic horror stories.
One man left Este over a health concern. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Future
It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their standing in the industry.
They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an global fan base.
Yet the sister act will forever be their number one commitment.
"Me and my siblings have been making music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "There is nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've made it and we're still going strong."