The World is Invited to Join as the Extra Haim Sisters Member.
"When are you chatting with Haim?" an inquiry arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can become their newest bandmate."
There's just a single issue: I also wants to be Haim's additional sibling. What's more, we are far from alone. Multiple high-profile admirers have also coveted the role.
One thing is obvious a special quality is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Today, they are multi-time Grammy contenders.
Like all the greatest bands, they're a close trio. Their music videos frequently depict them walking in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such boundless exuberance you can't help but think, "I wish to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a guitar'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the biggest honor. That's an award in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage young girls to make music."
"So everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary Haim sister."
Grammy Nod
The band are speaking from a break, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.
They're right now celebrating the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammy Awards β with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I follow the lists every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The weight of the nomination resonates with the band.
"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a huge achievement," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the pioneers that came before us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The project emerged from a phase of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that strange transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not quite ready to let go.
The lyrics detail breakups and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them working out in real time who they aspire to be.
"I love way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a mantra. You have to consciously practice blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Sound
That newfound resilience called for a new sound β more raw and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that was founded on 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 memoir," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's openness fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their romantic horror stories.
Someone broke up with Este over a health consideration. Alana told a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," explains Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."
A Secure Future
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're major draws, with successful albums and an international fan base.
However the sister act will consistently be their top priority.
"My sisters and I have been making music since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still kicking."