All Fans is Invited to Become the Fourth Haim Bandmate.
"Do you know when you'll be chatting with Haim?" a message arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
However, there remains a single issue: I also wants to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're in plentiful company. A host of high-profile fans have also begged for the role.
One thing is obvious something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their path doing sets at small eateries with their family. Presently, they stand as multi-time Grammy Award contenders.
In the tradition of the greatest groups, they're a tight-knit gang. Their music videos frequently depict them striding in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such boundless joy you inevitably think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That is the greatest honor. That's an award in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire young girls to make music."
"Therefore all is invited to be the fourth member of Haim."
Award Milestone
The trio are speaking from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I watch the lists every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The significance of the honor resonates with the trio.
"We truly set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge milestone," adds Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the female artists that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Laughter
The record was born from a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that odd transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.
The themes track endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they want to be.
"I love description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to actively work on blocking the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Style
That newfound confidence called for a different sonic direction – more organic and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drums.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," 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 fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their romantic misadventures.
A former partner ended things with Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Legacy
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their standing in the rock pantheon.
They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide following.
However Haim will forever be their primary focus.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."
