All Fans Are Encouraged to Join as the Additional Haim Sister.
"Any idea when you're interviewing the band?" a text arrives. "My request was to ask if I can join as their extra sister."
There's just a single issue: I also wants to be the Haims' additional sibling. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Several high-profile supporters have openly coveted the role.
One thing is obvious a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey playing gigs at local delicatessens with their family. Today, they are repeated Grammy contenders.
In the tradition of the most iconic ensembles, they're a tight-knit gang. Their visuals often show them striding in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they perform with such boundless joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'After your show, I bought a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the ultimate compliment. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire others to form a group."
"And thus anyone gets an invitation to be the next part of the family."
Grammy Nod
The trio have called into their homes, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first female band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I watch the lists every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the honor is deeply felt by the trio.
"We truly set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major step," adds Alana. "However we're just thankful for the female artists that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The record came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music explores that strange in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.
The words track breakups and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them determining in real life who they are becoming.
"I adore summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to actively work on shutting out the noise and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That developed toughness required a fresh approach – more raw and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the drum sound.
"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Humor
The trio's honesty fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their romantic tales.
One man ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana shared a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," says Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Future
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their position in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an worldwide following.
Yet the band will always be their primary priority.
"My sisters and I have been performing since I was little," shares Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really grateful we've reached this point and we're still going strong."
