Everyone Are Invited to Join as the Fourth Haim Sisters Member.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the Haim sisters?" a message reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their newest bandmate."
There is only a key snag: The sender also wants to be the Haims' newest recruit. What's more, we are far from alone. Several celebrated fans have openly petitioned for the honor.
It's clear a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their parents. Today, they are multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.
Similar to the best bands, they're a inseparable gang. Their visuals repeatedly depict them walking in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such boundless happiness you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'After your show, I bought a guitar'," says Alana, the most junior of the trio. "It is the greatest honor. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage others to form a group."
"So everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary Haim sister."
Grammy Recognition
The group have called into a break, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in for their new album, I Quit.
They're right now reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering female band ever in the running for the prize.
"I follow the nominations every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the honor is deeply felt by the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant milestone," continues Alana. "However we're just grateful for the female artists that paved the way."
Personal Turmoil and Laughter
The project came out of a period of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that strange in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to let go.
The words track breakups and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they want to be.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to make an effort in blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Style
That newfound confidence called for a new sound – more organic and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drum sound.
"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our book," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie
The band's honesty shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic tales.
Someone broke up with 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.
"During these breakups, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Future
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the music world.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide fan base.
However the sister act will consistently be their number one priority.
"We have been playing music since I was little," says Alana. "There is no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."
