All Fans Are Welcome to Join as the Extra Haim Bandmate.
"Do you know when you'll be chatting with the band?" a text pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can join as their extra sister."
There's just a single issue: I also wants to be Haim's fourth member. And we're not alone. Several high-profile supporters have publicly begged for the role.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their family. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy contenders.
Similar to the best bands, they're a inseparable trio. Their visuals repeatedly feature them walking in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such boundless happiness you inevitably think, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That's the biggest honor. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage young girls to make music."
"Therefore all gets an invitation to be the next part of the family."
Historic Milestone
The group are connecting from a break, where they're resting up after an lengthy tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammy Awards â with Haim the very first all-woman band ever in contention for the award.
"I follow the nominations every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the accolade isn't lost on the band.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a major step," adds Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the female artists that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Laughter
The album was born from a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to let go.
The themes follow breakups and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them working out in real life who they want to be.
"That's a perfect description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to consciously practice blocking the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Style
That newfound toughness called for a different sonic direction â more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on the percussion.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The band's candor shaped the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their personal tales.
Someone ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"During these breakups, you just feel like there's no light," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
A Secure Legacy
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their place in the music world.
They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an global following.
Yet Haim will forever be their top focus.
"Me and my siblings have been making music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "There is nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still making music."
