All Fans Are Welcome to Join as the Fourth Haim Sisters Member.
"When are you interviewing the Haim sisters?" an inquiry pops up. "My request was to ask if I can become their fourth member."
However, there remains a single issue: I also longs to be the Haims' fourth member. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Multiple famous supporters have also begged for the honor.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their family. Today, they are repeated Grammy Award hopefuls.
Like all the best ensembles, they're a close gang. Their visuals often depict them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such boundless exuberance you can't help but think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'After your show, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the greatest compliment. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage young girls to make music."
"Therefore anyone gets an invitation to be the honorary part of the family."
Historic Nod
The band have called into a break, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.
They're right now celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in the running for the award.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The significance of the accolade isn't lost on the band.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a major milestone," continues Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the pioneers that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The record came out of a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music explores that unique liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The words track endings and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've got. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they want to be.
"I love summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to make an effort in shutting out the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That newfound toughness demanded a fresh approach – more organic and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the drums.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's candor shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their dating misadventures.
One man broke up with Este over a medical 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 heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Future
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their position in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an global fan base.
But Haim will always be their top priority.
"We have been playing music since I was a young child," says Alana. "There is no other path that we were destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still going strong."