The World is Invited to Be the Fourth Haim Sister.
"Any idea when you're chatting with Haim?" a message arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There's just a key snag: The sender also wants to be Haim's additional sibling. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Several high-profile admirers have openly begged for the role.
One thing is obvious a special quality is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their career performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.
In the tradition of the greatest groups, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos often show them marching in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such boundless exuberance you can't help but think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a drum kit'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the ultimate compliment. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage others to make music."
"Therefore anyone gets an invitation to be the next part of the family."
Historic Nod
The band have called into their homes, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-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 called," explains Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the honor resonates with the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge step," says Alana. "However we're just thankful for the women that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Laughter
The project came out of a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music explores that strange in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.
The lyrics detail departures and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a mantra. You have to consciously practice blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Sound
That recent confidence required a different sonic direction – more unpolished 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 nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Experiences and Shared Laughter
The trio's candor shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their dating misadventures.
Someone ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
A Secure Legacy
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their place in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an international audience.
But the band will forever be their number one focus.
"Me and my siblings have been making music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "There is nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."