The World is Invited to Become the Extra Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're speaking to the Haim sisters?" an inquiry pops up. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There is only a key snag: The sender also longs to be the Haims' additional sibling. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Several celebrated fans have publicly petitioned for the honor.
It's clear a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their career playing gigs at local delicatessens with their family. Today, they are multiple Grammy hopefuls.
Similar to the greatest groups, they're a close unit. Their visuals repeatedly feature them marching in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such pure exuberance you inevitably think, "I want to be part of that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "It is the greatest compliment. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage others to make music."
"And thus anyone gets an invitation to be the honorary Haim sister."
Award Recognition
The band are connecting from home, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're presently reeling from the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first all-woman band ever in consideration for the award.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like The Truman Show when your name is read out," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the honor isn't lost on the trio.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant achievement," continues Alana. "But we're just grateful for the female artists that came before us."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The album came out of a time of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that strange in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The themes detail endings and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them working out in real time who they aspire to be.
"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to actively work on ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Style
That newfound toughness called for a fresh approach – more raw and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the percussion.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," jokes Alana. "I always say, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Experiences and Shared Camaraderie
The trio's candor inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic misadventures.
One man left Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Path
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their place in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an worldwide audience.
However Haim will always be their number one commitment.
"We have been playing music since I was four," says Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."
