All Fans Are Encouraged to Become the Additional Haim Bandmate.
"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" an inquiry arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There's just a single issue: The sender also desires to be the Haims' fourth member. And we're far from alone. Several famous fans have also begged for the role.
The evidence suggests a special quality is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their path performing shows at neighborhood delis with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy nominees.
Similar to the most iconic bands, they're a tight-knit trio. Their videos repeatedly show them walking in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such boundless exuberance you inevitably think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a drum kit'," says Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the greatest honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate young girls to make music."
"So anyone is invited to be the next part of the family."
Historic Nod
The band are connecting from a break, where they're recovering after an major tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're right now processing the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first all-woman band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I follow the lists every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the accolade resonates with the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant achievement," says Alana. "However we're just thankful for the women that paved the way."
Heartbreak and Laughter
The album emerged from a phase of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that unique in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The themes follow endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them determining in real time who they are becoming.
"I love description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a mantra. You have to consciously practice ignoring the noise and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Development of Music
That newfound confidence called for a fresh approach – more unpolished and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that started with the drum sound.
"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the perfect drum sound."
Experiences and Shared Camaraderie
The band's honesty inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.
A former partner broke up with Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of travelling to celebrate 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 only darkness," says Alana. "So to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Path
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their place in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an worldwide audience.
However Haim will consistently be their number one focus.
"We have been making music since I was little," concludes Alana. "There is no alternative that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still making music."