Everyone is Encouraged to Be the Additional Haim Bandmate.
"When are you chatting with Haim?" a text arrives. "My request was to ask if I can join as their newest bandmate."
There is only a single issue: The sender also wants to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're far from alone. Multiple high-profile supporters have also coveted the position.
The evidence suggests an irresistible appeal is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their career performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy Award contenders.
Similar to the best groups, they're a tight-knit gang. Their music videos frequently feature them marching in harmony down the roads of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such pure joy you can't help but think, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a guitar'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the trio. "It is the greatest honour. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage young girls to make music."
"Therefore everyone is invited to be the next part of the family."
Grammy Nod
The group are speaking from a break, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in promoting 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 very first all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I follow the lists every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," explains Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"
The weight of the accolade isn't lost on the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major milestone," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the female artists that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Laughter
The project came out of a time of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music explores that unique liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The words follow breakups and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them working out in real time who they are becoming.
"I adore description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to make an effort in blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Sound
That developed confidence called for a different sonic direction – more raw 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.
"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the perfect drum sound."
Stories and Shared Humor
The trio's openness shaped the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their romantic tales.
One man 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 casual gesture at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," says Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Future
One can easily sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an global fan base.
However Haim will consistently be their number one priority.
"We have been performing since I was little," shares Alana. "There is nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."