All Fans Are Welcome to Be the Additional Haim Sister.
"When are you interviewing the Haim sisters?" an inquiry reads. "My request was to ask if I can join as their newest bandmate."
There's just a single issue: The author likewise wants to be Haim's newest recruit. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Multiple famous supporters 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 neighborhood delis with their family. Today, they are multi-time Grammy contenders.
In the tradition of the best ensembles, they're a tight-knit gang. Their visuals frequently depict them walking in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such pure joy you inevitably think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That's the greatest compliment. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can motivate young girls to start a band."
"So everyone gets an invitation to be the fourth member of Haim."
Grammy Milestone
The band are connecting from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering female band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it sort of 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 hallucinating'?"
The weight of the honor resonates with the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major achievement," continues Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the pioneers that came before us."
Emotional Upheaval and Candor
The album emerged from a phase of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that strange liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The lyrics follow endings and goodbyes. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them working out in real life who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to actively work on ignoring the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Development of Style
That newfound confidence demanded a new sound – more organic and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that started with the percussion.
"Percussion is such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our book," laughs Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's honesty inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their dating misadventures.
Someone broke up with 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.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
A Confident Path
It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their standing in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an global fan base.
But the band will forever be their number one commitment.
"We have been playing music since I was four," shares Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."