🔗 Share this article

"Any idea when you're interviewing the band?" a message pops up. "My request was to ask if I can join as their extra sister."

However, there remains one problem: I also wants to be the Haims' newest recruit. Furthermore, we are not alone. A host of famous admirers have publicly begged for the role.

One thing is obvious an irresistible appeal is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their family. Today, they are repeated Grammy hopefuls.

In the tradition of the most iconic groups, they're a close trio. Their visuals often depict them striding in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. On stage, they perform with such pure exuberance you find yourself thinking, "I want to be a piece of that, too."

"The amount of times on tour that young girls told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a drum kit'," says Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That's the ultimate honor. That's an award in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire others to form a group."

"Therefore everyone gets an invitation to be the next member of Haim."

Award Nod

The band are speaking from a break, where they're recovering after an extensive tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.

They're presently celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in contention for the award.

"I watch the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is read out," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I dreaming'?"

The importance of the honor isn't lost on the band.

"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant achievement," says Alana. "But we're just thankful for the women that paved the way."

Personal Turmoil and Laughter

The record was born from a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.

The words detail endings and goodbyes. The sisters desire love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they want to be.

"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to consciously practice shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Evolution of Sound

That recent resilience required a new sound – more raw and direct than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the drum sound.

"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."

Experiences and Collective Laughter

The band's openness shaped the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic tales.

One man broke up with Este over a health concern. Alana shared a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."

A Confident Path

One can easily sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their place in the rock pantheon.

They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide fan base.

Yet the sister act will always be their number one priority.

"We have been playing music since I was little," says Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."