Everyone Are Encouraged to Be the Extra Haim Sisters Member.
"When are you speaking to the Haim sisters?" a message arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their extra sister."
There is only a single issue: The author likewise wants to be the Haims' newest recruit. And we're not alone. Multiple celebrated supporters have also coveted the honor.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their path doing sets at local delicatessens with their family. Now they're multi-time Grammy Award hopefuls.
Like all the best groups, they're a tight-knit trio. Their visuals frequently feature them walking in harmony down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such unfettered joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that fans approached us and said, 'After your show, I picked up a bass'," states Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That's the biggest honour. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate others to start a band."
"And thus all gets an invitation to be the honorary Haim sister."
Historic Nod
The band are speaking from home, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in for their new album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys β with Haim the first all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the nomination isn't lost on the sisters.
"We truly set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major achievement," adds Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the female artists that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The album came out of a time of transition. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that unique liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.
The words track breakups and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of 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'."
Refinement of Music
That developed confidence called for a new sound β more unpolished and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on the drums.
"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Laughter
The trio's candor shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their dating misadventures.
Someone left Este over a health consideration. Alana told a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"When you're going through 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 wilder stories, it's incredible."
A Confident Legacy
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their standing in the industry.
They're major draws, with successful albums and an international audience.
But the sister act will forever be their top commitment.
"We have been making music since I was four," says Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've reached this point and we're still making music."