All Fans Are Welcome to Become the Additional Haim Sisters Sister.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the band?" an inquiry reads. "My request was to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There is only a single issue: The author likewise longs to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're far from alone. Several celebrated admirers have also begged for the role.
The evidence suggests something is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their career performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're multi-time Grammy hopefuls.
Like all the most iconic ensembles, they're a close trio. Their videos often show them striding in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such unfettered exuberance you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans told us and said, 'After your show, I picked up a guitar'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the greatest compliment. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can inspire people to form a group."
"And thus everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary member of Haim."
Award Nod
The band are speaking from a break, where they're recovering after an major tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're presently 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 award.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The importance of the nomination isn't lost on the sisters.
"We truly set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a huge achievement," continues Alana. "However we're just thankful for the pioneers that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The project was born from a period of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.
The themes track endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them working out in real time who they are becoming.
"I love way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to consciously practice ignoring the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Sound
That newfound resilience called for a different sonic direction – 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.
"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Stories and Shared Camaraderie
The trio's candor fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their personal horror stories.
Someone left Este over a health concern. Alana shared a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
An Assured Path
One can easily sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their standing in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an worldwide fan base.
But Haim will consistently be their number one priority.
"Me and my siblings have been playing music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still making music."