Everyone is Welcome to Join as the Fourth Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're chatting with the Haim sisters?" a text arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There's just one problem: I also desires to be Haim's fourth member. Furthermore, we are far from alone. A host of famous admirers have openly petitioned for the position.
It's clear a special quality is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey doing sets at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're repeated Grammy contenders.
Similar to the best ensembles, they're a close trio. Their visuals frequently depict them striding in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such pure happiness you can't help but think, "I want to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a bass'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That's the biggest honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate young girls to form a group."
"Therefore all is invited to be the next member of Haim."
Award Recognition
The band are speaking from their homes, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in for 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 pioneering all-female band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is called," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I dreaming'?"
The significance of the nomination resonates with the sisters.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge step," continues Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the women that inspired us."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The album was born from a time of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that unique in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.
The words follow breakups and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real life who they are becoming.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to make an effort in shutting out the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Style
That newfound resilience required a fresh approach – more organic and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our book," jokes Alana. "I always say, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Stories and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's openness fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters disclosed some of their dating tales.
One man broke up with Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's incredible."
A Confident Legacy
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their standing in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an global following.
Yet Haim will consistently be their number one priority.
"My sisters and I have been performing since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've made it and we're still going strong."
