All Fans Are Encouraged to Be the Extra Haim Sisters Member.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the band?" a text pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can join as their newest bandmate."
There is only a key snag: The sender also longs to be the Haims' additional sibling. Furthermore, we are far from alone. A host of high-profile fans have openly begged for the role.
One thing is obvious a special quality is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career performing shows at small eateries with their family. Now they're multiple Grammy hopefuls.
In the tradition of the greatest groups, they're a close gang. Their videos often show them marching in sync down the roads of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such pure joy you can't help but think, "I'd love to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans told us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That's the ultimate honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate young girls to make music."
"So all gets an invitation to be the next part of the family."
Award Nod
The group are speaking from home, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their new 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 very first all-woman band ever in contention for the award.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the honor is deeply felt by the band.
"We truly set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge achievement," adds Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the women that came before us."
Personal Turmoil and Laughter
The album emerged from a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that strange in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to let go.
The words detail departures and goodbyes. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them working out in the moment who they want to be.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to actively work on blocking the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That developed resilience required a different sonic direction – more organic and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the drums.
"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our biography," quips Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Laughter
The band's candor fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their personal tales.
Someone 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 high five at midnight.
"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
A Confident Future
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their place in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an international audience.
But the band will consistently be their number one priority.
"We have been playing music since I was four," says Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still kicking."