All Fans Are Invited to Become the Additional Haim Sisters Sister.
"Any idea when you're chatting with the Haim sisters?" an inquiry arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can become their extra sister."
However, there remains a single issue: The sender also desires to be Haim's fourth member. And we're in plentiful company. Several celebrated admirers have publicly coveted the role.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their career doing sets at local delicatessens with their family. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy contenders.
Like all the greatest ensembles, they're a inseparable unit. Their music videos repeatedly feature them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such pure joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members told us and said, 'After your show, I picked up a drum kit'," says Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "It is the ultimate honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage people to start a band."
"And thus all is invited to be the fourth part of the family."
Grammy Recognition
The trio are speaking from home, where they're resting up after an major tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.
They're right now reeling from the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in consideration for the trophy.
"I follow the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The weight of the accolade resonates with the band.
"We truly set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge milestone," continues Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the female artists that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Laughter
The record was born from a period 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 entirely ready to start anew.
The themes follow endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them working out in real time who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to make an effort in ignoring the noise and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That newfound resilience required a different sonic direction – more unpolished 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 am so passionate about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie
The band's candor shaped the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their romantic misadventures.
A former partner left Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"Experiencing these setbacks, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
A Confident Legacy
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their position in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an worldwide following.
Yet the sister act will forever be their number one priority.
"We have been making music since I was little," says Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still making music."
