Everyone is Encouraged to Become the Fourth Haim Sister.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the band?" a text reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their newest bandmate."
There is only a key snag: The sender also wants to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Multiple famous supporters have also begged for the role.
The evidence suggests a special quality is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career doing sets at neighborhood delis with their family. Now they're repeated Grammy Award nominees.
Similar to the greatest bands, they're a inseparable unit. Their music videos often show them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such pure joy you inevitably think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'After your show, I picked up a guitar'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That's the ultimate compliment. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage others to form a group."
"Therefore everyone are welcome to be the next member of Haim."
Award Nod
The group have called into their homes, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in the running for the award.
"I watch the lists every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is called," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the accolade resonates with the band.
"We truly set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge milestone," adds Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the pioneers that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Candor
The project emerged from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The themes follow endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them working out in the moment who they aspire to be.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to actively work on ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That recent resilience called for a fresh approach – more organic and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the drum sound.
"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie
The band's candor inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their personal misadventures.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "Thus to be able to share those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
A Secure Legacy
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their position in the music world.
They're major draws, with hit albums and an international following.
Yet Haim will consistently be their top priority.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was four," says Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've reached this point and we're still going strong."
