Everyone is Encouraged to Be the Additional Haim Sisters Sister.
"When are you interviewing the band?" a text arrives. "My request was to ask if I can become their fourth member."
However, there remains a key snag: I also desires to be Haim's additional sibling. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Several high-profile supporters have also petitioned for the honor.
One thing is obvious something is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their path playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their family. Presently, they stand as multi-time Grammy Award contenders.
Similar to the best ensembles, they're a inseparable trio. Their music videos often depict them walking in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such boundless joy you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'After your show, I picked up a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That is the biggest compliment. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire others to make music."
"And thus everyone is invited to be the honorary member of Haim."
Grammy Recognition
The trio are speaking from their homes, where they're recovering after an extensive tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammys – with Haim the very first female band ever in the running for the trophy.
"I watch the nominations every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," explains Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the nomination is deeply felt by the sisters.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," says Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the pioneers that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Laughter
The project emerged from a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The themes detail departures and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to consciously practice blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Development of Music
That developed confidence called for a different sonic direction – more organic and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the percussion.
"Drums are such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The band's openness fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their romantic tales.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"When you're going through these breakups, you just feel like there's no light," explains Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Future
You can clearly sense a change in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their place in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an global fan base.
But the band will consistently be their number one focus.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still going strong."