Everyone Are Encouraged to Join as the Additional Haim Bandmate.
"When are you chatting with Haim?" a message pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their fourth member."
However, there remains one problem: I also wants to be the Haims' additional sibling. What's more, we are not alone. Multiple celebrated fans have also coveted the position.
The evidence suggests an irresistible appeal is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career doing sets at neighborhood delis with their family. Presently, they stand as multi-time Grammy Award hopefuls.
Similar to the best groups, they're a tight-knit gang. Their music videos repeatedly feature them striding in harmony down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such pure exuberance you inevitably think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That is the ultimate compliment. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire others to form a group."
"And thus all gets an invitation to be the fourth part of the family."
Award Milestone
The band are connecting from their homes, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in promoting their fourth 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 pioneering all-female band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The weight of the nomination is deeply felt by the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge achievement," continues Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the women that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Laughter
The record came out of a period of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.
The themes follow endings and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a slogan. You have to consciously practice shutting out the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That recent resilience required a different sonic direction – more unpolished and powerful than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the drums.
"Drums are such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," laughs Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the perfect drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie
The trio's honesty inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their romantic misadventures.
One man ended things with 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.
"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."
An Assured Legacy
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their position in the industry.
They're major draws, with hit albums and an global audience.
But the sister act will always be their primary focus.
"We have been performing since I was a young child," shares Alana. "There is nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still kicking."
