Everyone Are Encouraged to Become the Additional Haim Sisters Sister.
"Do you know when you'll be chatting with the Haim sisters?" a text reads. "I wanted to ask if I can be their extra sister."
However, there remains one problem: I also desires to be the Haims' additional sibling. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. A host of high-profile admirers have openly begged for the position.
The evidence suggests something is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey doing sets at small eateries with their family. Now they're repeated Grammy hopefuls.
Similar to the most iconic ensembles, they're a close unit. Their music videos frequently depict them walking in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such unfettered happiness you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a drum kit'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the greatest compliment. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage people to form a group."
"So everyone are welcome to be the honorary part of the family."
Award Milestone
The band have called into their homes, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first female band ever in contention for the award.
"I follow the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the nomination isn't lost on the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant achievement," says Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the pioneers that paved the way."
Personal Turmoil and Laughter
The project was born from a phase of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that odd liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to let go.
The lyrics track endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they want to be.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to actively work on shutting out the noise and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That recent resilience demanded a different sonic direction – more raw and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that was founded on the percussion.
"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's honesty fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their personal horror stories.
A former partner left Este over a medical concern. Alana shared a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Path
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their position in the industry.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide fan base.
However Haim will always be their primary priority.
"We have been playing music since I was little," says Alana. "It's like no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still kicking."