All Fans Are Encouraged to Join as the Fourth Haim Sisters Sister.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the Haim sisters?" a text reads. "My request was to ask if I can become their fourth member."
There is only a single issue: The sender also desires to be the Haims' additional sibling. And we're in plentiful company. A host of famous admirers have also coveted the position.
One thing is obvious a special quality is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their career playing gigs at small eateries with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy hopefuls.
Similar to the most iconic ensembles, they're a inseparable unit. Their music videos often show them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such unfettered joy you inevitably think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That is the biggest honor. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage others to form a group."
"And thus anyone gets an invitation to be the honorary Haim sister."
Award Nod
The band are connecting from their homes, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The importance of the accolade resonates with the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant achievement," continues Alana. "However we're just thankful for the women that paved the way."
Heartbreak and Candor
The project was born from a phase of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that unique in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to let go.
The words follow departures and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them determining in real life who they aspire to be.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to make an effort in shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That developed toughness demanded a new sound – more unpolished and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the drum sound.
"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," laughs Alana. "I always say, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Laughter
The trio's candor fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.
Someone left Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Legacy
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their standing in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide following.
Yet the sister act will always be their primary commitment.
"Me and my siblings have been playing music since I was four," shares Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."
