All Fans is Encouraged to Become the Additional Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be chatting with the Haim sisters?" a text pops up. "My request was to ask if I can join as their extra sister."
There's just a single issue: The sender also wants to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are far from alone. A host of celebrated supporters have also coveted the position.
The evidence suggests a special quality is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their family. Today, they are multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.
Like all the most iconic groups, they're a inseparable trio. Their visuals often depict them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such pure happiness you inevitably think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a drum kit'," states Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That's the ultimate compliment. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate young girls to form a group."
"And thus everyone is invited to be the honorary member of Haim."
Grammy Milestone
The group have called into their homes, where they're recovering after an major tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is called," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The weight of the accolade resonates with the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a huge milestone," adds Alana. "But we're just grateful for the female artists that came before us."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The album emerged from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.
The words detail endings and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they want to be.
"I love description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to actively work on blocking the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Style
That recent toughness called for a different sonic direction – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our memoir," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The trio's openness inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their dating misadventures.
One man ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
An Assured Path
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their standing in the music world.
They're major draws, with successful albums and an global audience.
Yet the band will forever be their number one commitment.
"We have been making music since I was little," concludes Alana. "There is no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still kicking."