All Fans Are Encouraged to Join as the Additional Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing Haim?" a message pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can be their extra sister."
There's just a key snag: I also desires to be Haim's additional sibling. And we're in plentiful company. A host of high-profile supporters have publicly begged for the position.
It's clear a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their parents. Presently, they stand as multi-time Grammy contenders.
Like all the greatest groups, they're a tight-knit trio. Their music videos frequently feature them striding in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such pure joy you can't help but 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, 'Seeing you perform, I got a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the biggest honor. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate young girls to start a band."
"Therefore anyone is invited to be the honorary part of the family."
Award Nod
The band are speaking from their homes, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in the running for the trophy.
"I watch the lists every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"
The weight of the nomination is deeply felt by the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a huge achievement," says Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the women that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The project came out of a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that strange liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to let go.
The words follow departures and partings. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them determining in the moment who they aspire to be.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to actively work on blocking the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That recent confidence called for a new sound – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the drum sound.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I am so passionate about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The band's openness shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their dating misadventures.
One man left Este over a medical concern. Alana recalled a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's no light," says Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Future
It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their place in the industry.
They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide fan base.
Yet Haim will consistently be their number one focus.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was little," concludes Alana. "It's like no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."