All Fans Are Invited to Be the Additional Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" a message pops up. "My request was to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There's just a single issue: The author likewise wants to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're not alone. A host of famous supporters have publicly begged for the position.
The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy Award nominees.
Like all the best groups, they're a close trio. Their visuals often show them striding in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such boundless joy you inevitably think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the greatest honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate others to start a band."
"So anyone gets an invitation to be the next member of Haim."
Historic Nod
The trio are connecting from home, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in the running for the prize.
"I tune into the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the honor resonates with the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major step," continues Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the pioneers that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The project emerged from a phase of transition. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music explores that unique transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The themes detail endings and partings. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to actively work on blocking the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That developed resilience demanded a fresh approach – more unpolished and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on the drums.
"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our biography," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's candor shaped the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical concern. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"Experiencing these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
An Assured Future
It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more assured of their place in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an worldwide following.
Yet the sister act will always be their top priority.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was four," says Alana. "There is no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still going strong."