Everyone is Encouraged to Join as the Additional Haim Sister.
"When are you interviewing the band?" an inquiry pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can become their extra sister."
There is only one problem: I also desires to be Haim's additional sibling. What's more, we are not alone. Several celebrated supporters have also coveted the role.
It's clear a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their career doing sets at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're multi-time Grammy contenders.
Similar to the most iconic ensembles, they're a inseparable gang. Their music videos frequently show them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such unfettered exuberance you can't help but think, "I want to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the greatest honor. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage young girls to make music."
"And thus all are welcome to be the fourth member of Haim."
Historic Milestone
The band are speaking from home, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in promoting their fourth album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first all-woman band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I watch the nominations every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I dreaming'?"
The significance of the honor resonates with the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major achievement," continues Alana. "However we're just grateful for the women that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The album was born from a period of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that odd in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The lyrics follow endings and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them determining in real life who they aspire to be.
"I love summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to consciously practice blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That recent confidence required a fresh approach – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the percussion.
"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The band's candor inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.
A former partner left Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."
An Assured Future
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their position in the music world.
They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an international audience.
Yet the band will forever be their primary focus.
"We have been performing since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "There is no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still going strong."
