Everyone is Invited to Be the Extra Haim Member.
"Any idea when you're interviewing the Haim sisters?" a message arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There's just a single issue: The author likewise longs to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're far from alone. Several high-profile fans have also begged for the role.
One thing is obvious an irresistible appeal is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their path doing sets at small eateries with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy hopefuls.
Similar to the best ensembles, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos repeatedly show them walking in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such pure exuberance you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'After your show, I bought a drum kit'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the ultimate honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire others to form a group."
"So all are welcome to be the fourth member of Haim."
Grammy Recognition
The band are connecting from home, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in the running for the prize.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the honor resonates with the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant milestone," continues Alana. "But we're just grateful for the women that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The record emerged from a period of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that odd transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to let go.
The words follow endings and goodbyes. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them working out in real life who they aspire to be.
"That's a perfect description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a mantra. You have to consciously practice shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Music
That developed toughness demanded a new sound – more unpolished and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the drums.
"Percussion is such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our memoir," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The band's candor fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic misadventures.
One man left Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Future
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their place in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an international fan base.
However the band will consistently be their number one commitment.
"We have been making 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 reached this point and we're still kicking."
