Everyone Are Encouraged to Become the Extra Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing Haim?" an inquiry arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There is only a key snag: I also wants to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're not alone. A host of famous admirers have also coveted the role.
It's clear a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their parents. Today, they are multi-time Grammy nominees.
Similar to the best groups, they're a tight-knit gang. Their videos often depict them striding in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such unfettered happiness you can't help but think, "I'd love to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a bass'," states Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That's the biggest honor. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire young girls to make music."
"Therefore everyone gets an invitation to be the fourth Haim sister."
Grammy Nod
The trio are speaking from a break, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in for their new album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I follow the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the nomination resonates with the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major achievement," adds Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the female artists that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The project emerged from a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that strange in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The words track endings and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them working out in the moment who they want to be.
"That's a perfect description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to actively work on blocking the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That recent resilience required a different sonic direction – more organic and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the drums.
"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," jokes Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the perfect drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie
The trio's honesty inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic tales.
Someone left Este over a medical concern. Alana recalled a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Future
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're major draws, with hit albums and an worldwide fan base.
But the band will always be their top priority.
"Me and my siblings have been playing music since I was four," says Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."