Everyone is Invited to Join as the Additional Haim Sister.
"When are you speaking to the band?" an inquiry arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their fourth member."
However, there remains a single issue: The author likewise longs to be the Haims' newest recruit. And we're not alone. Multiple famous admirers have openly coveted the position.
The evidence suggests something is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path performing shows at neighborhood delis with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy Award contenders.
Similar to the best groups, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos repeatedly show them walking in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they perform with such unfettered joy you inevitably think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," says Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "It is the greatest honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage young girls to form a group."
"So everyone is invited to be the honorary part of the family."
Historic Recognition
The trio are connecting from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're right now reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in contention for the award.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the nomination isn't lost on the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," says Alana. "But we're just grateful for the pioneers that inspired us."
Emotional Upheaval and Laughter
The record emerged from a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music explores that unique transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.
The themes detail breakups and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them determining in the moment who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to consciously practice blocking the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Development of Music
That newfound toughness called for a new sound – more raw and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," quips Alana. "I've said it, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's openness shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic misadventures.
One man ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana recalled a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."
An Assured Future
You can clearly sense a change in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their position in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide fan base.
But the band will always be their number one commitment.
"My sisters and I have been making music since I was four," says Alana. "It's like no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still making music."
