All Fans Are Encouraged to Be the Additional Haim Sister.
"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the band?" a text reads. "I wanted to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There's just a single issue: The author likewise longs to be Haim's fourth member. And we're not alone. A host of celebrated supporters have openly petitioned for the honor.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy contenders.
Like all the greatest groups, they're a tight-knit trio. Their music videos often depict them walking in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such pure exuberance you can't help but think, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members told us and said, 'After your show, I got a bass'," states Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That is the ultimate honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate others to start a band."
"So all is invited to be the fourth part of the family."
Grammy Recognition
The trio have called into a break, where they're recovering after an major tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're right now processing the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in contention for the prize.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I dreaming'?"
The weight of the accolade resonates with the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant step," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the female artists that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Candor
The project was born from a time of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that strange transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to move on.
The lyrics track departures and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them working out in real life who they are becoming.
"I love way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to consciously practice blocking the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Music
That recent toughness demanded a new sound – more organic and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that was founded on the drums.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," quips Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's candor fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal misadventures.
Someone left Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
A Secure Legacy
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their place in the industry.
They're major draws, with hit albums and an global fan base.
Yet the band will consistently be their primary focus.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was four," concludes Alana. "There is no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still making music."