Everyone Are Invited to Become the Additional Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the band?" a text reads. "I wanted to ask if I can join as their newest bandmate."
However, there remains a single issue: The author likewise desires to be the Haims' newest recruit. What's more, we are far from alone. A host of high-profile fans have openly coveted the role.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey doing sets at neighborhood delis with their family. Today, they are multi-time Grammy hopefuls.
Similar to the best groups, they're a close gang. Their music videos repeatedly depict them marching in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such unfettered happiness you find yourself thinking, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls told us and said, 'After your show, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That's the greatest compliment. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage others to make music."
"And thus everyone is invited to be the next part of the family."
Grammy Nod
The trio are speaking from home, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're right now reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first all-woman band ever in contention for the prize.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the accolade isn't lost on the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a huge achievement," continues Alana. "But we're just grateful for the women that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The record emerged from a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that odd liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.
The themes detail endings and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they want to be.
"I love way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to make an effort in shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Sound
That newfound confidence demanded a fresh approach – more unpolished and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drum sound.
"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," quips Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Experiences and Shared Humor
The trio's honesty shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic misadventures.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Path
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their position in the industry.
They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an global fan base.
But Haim will always be their number one focus.
"Me and my siblings have been playing music since I was four," concludes Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still making music."
