🔗 Share this article

"When are you interviewing the band?" an inquiry pops up. "My request was to ask if I can be their fourth member."

There's just a single issue: The author likewise longs to be the Haims' additional sibling. Furthermore, we are not alone. Several high-profile supporters have openly begged for the honor.

One thing is obvious a special quality is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their path performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Presently, they stand as multi-time Grammy Award nominees.

In the tradition of the best bands, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos repeatedly show them marching in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such pure exuberance you find yourself thinking, "I want to be involved in that, too."

"How often on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'After your show, I got a bass'," states Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "It is the biggest honour. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can motivate young girls to start a band."

"Therefore anyone is invited to be the honorary member of Haim."

Grammy Milestone

The group are speaking from their homes, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.

They're presently processing the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in contention for the trophy.

"I follow the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I imagining things'?"

The significance of the accolade resonates with the trio.

"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant milestone," adds Alana. "But we're just grateful for the pioneers that came before us."

Emotional Upheaval and Laughter

The project emerged from a time of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that strange liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.

The themes detail breakups and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them determining in the moment who they want to be.

"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to consciously practice blocking the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Development of Sound

That newfound toughness called for a new sound – more organic and immediate than anything the band had done before.

For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that started with the percussion.

"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I care so much 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 perfect drum sound."

Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie

The trio's openness fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal tales.

Someone ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.

"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."

A Secure Legacy

One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their place in the industry.

They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an global following.

But Haim will always be their primary priority.

"Me and my siblings have been playing music since I was a young child," says Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still going strong."