All Fans Are Welcome to Be the Fourth Haim Bandmate.
"When are you speaking to the band?" an inquiry pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their fourth member."
There is only a single issue: I also desires to be Haim's additional sibling. And we're far from alone. Multiple famous fans have also coveted the honor.
It's clear something is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their career performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Today, they are multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.
Like all the greatest ensembles, they're a tight-knit trio. Their music videos often show them walking in sync down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such unfettered happiness you inevitably think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'After your show, I got a bass'," states Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the ultimate honor. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire people to form a group."
"Therefore all is invited to be the fourth Haim sister."
Historic Milestone
The group have called into their homes, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been nominated for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in consideration for the award.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the accolade isn't lost on the sisters.
"We truly set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," continues Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the pioneers that came before us."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The album came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that unique transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.
The themes follow breakups and goodbyes. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them working out in the moment who they are becoming.
"I adore description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to actively work on ignoring the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Sound
That recent resilience demanded a fresh approach – more unpolished and powerful than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the drums.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie
The trio's openness shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.
One man left Este over a medical concern. Alana recalled a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
An Assured Path
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an worldwide following.
However Haim will consistently be their primary commitment.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was little," says Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still kicking."