Everyone Are Invited to Be the Fourth Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the band?" a message reads. "My request was to ask if I can become their extra sister."
There is only one problem: The author likewise desires to be Haim's additional sibling. And we're not alone. Multiple famous supporters have also coveted the role.
One thing is obvious a special quality is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy Award nominees.
Like all the greatest bands, they're a close trio. Their music videos frequently feature them marching in sync down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such boundless joy you can't help but think, "I want to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That's the ultimate honor. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate others to make music."
"And thus everyone gets an invitation to be the fourth part of the family."
Award Recognition
The group are speaking from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The importance of the honor is deeply felt by the band.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant milestone," continues Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the pioneers that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Candor
The project came out of a period of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that odd in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The lyrics follow endings and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them working out in real life who they want to be.
"I love description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a slogan. You have to consciously practice blocking the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That recent confidence called for a fresh approach – more organic and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drum sound.
"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our memoir," laughs Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Laughter
The band's candor fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their dating misadventures.
A former partner left Este over a medical concern. Alana shared a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"When you're going through these breakups, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
An Assured Path
One can easily sense a shift in the band. Now, Haim are more assured of their standing in the industry.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide following.
However Haim will always be their top priority.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was four," says Alana. "There is no other path that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still kicking."