All Fans is Invited to Join as the Extra Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"When are you interviewing the Haim sisters?" a message pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can become their extra sister."
There is only a single issue: The sender also longs to be Haim's additional sibling. What's more, we are not alone. A host of famous admirers have publicly coveted the position.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy contenders.
Similar to the best ensembles, they're a inseparable gang. Their visuals frequently feature them marching in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such pure joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that young girls told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That is the biggest compliment. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage others to form a group."
"And thus everyone is invited to be the fourth part of the family."
Award Recognition
The trio are speaking from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in the running for the prize.
"I follow the lists every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the accolade isn't lost on the band.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge achievement," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the women that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Humour
The album was born from a period of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that strange transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The lyrics track endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them working out in real time who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to consciously practice shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Style
That developed resilience required a fresh approach – more organic and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drum sound.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Stories and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's honesty inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal horror stories.
One man broke up with Este over a health concern. Alana shared a story of travelling 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 only darkness," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Legacy
One can easily sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're major draws, with hit albums and an worldwide following.
Yet the sister act will always be their number one focus.
"We have been making music since I was little," shares Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."