All Fans Are Encouraged to Become the Extra Haim Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're speaking to the band?" an inquiry arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There's just a single issue: I also desires to be the Haims' fourth member. What's more, we are far from alone. Several celebrated supporters have openly begged for the role.
One thing is obvious something is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career playing gigs at small eateries with their family. Now they're repeated Grammy nominees.
Similar to the greatest bands, they're a tight-knit trio. Their visuals repeatedly show them striding in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such pure happiness you inevitably think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that audience members told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the biggest compliment. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate people to form a group."
"Therefore all gets an invitation to be the fourth Haim sister."
Historic Milestone
The group have called into their homes, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering female band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I watch the lists every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the honor is deeply felt by the band.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major achievement," continues Alana. "However we're just grateful for the female artists that inspired us."
Emotional Upheaval and Candor
The album emerged from a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that strange transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The words track breakups and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they aspire to be.
"I love description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to make an effort in blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Development of Music
That newfound resilience required a new sound – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the drum sound.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," laughs Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The trio's honesty inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their personal misadventures.
One man left Este over a health concern. Alana recalled a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Path
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their standing in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an worldwide fan base.
But the sister act will forever be their number one priority.
"We have been making music since I was four," shares Alana. "There is nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still making music."