🔗 Share this article

"When are you interviewing the band?" a text arrives. "My request was to ask if I can become their fourth member."

However, there remains one problem: The sender also desires to be the Haims' additional sibling. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Several famous supporters have also begged for the role.

It's clear a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path doing sets at neighborhood delis with their parents. Today, they are multi-time Grammy Award hopefuls.

Like all the greatest ensembles, they're a inseparable gang. Their visuals frequently feature them walking in sync down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such unfettered joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be part of that, too."

"The numerous instances on tour that fans told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That is the ultimate compliment. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage young girls to make music."

"So everyone is invited to be the honorary part of the family."

Award Milestone

The group are connecting from home, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.

They're presently processing the news it's been shortlisted for a top rock honor at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in contention for the prize.

"I watch the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"

The importance of the accolade isn't lost on the sisters.

"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a major milestone," continues Alana. "However we're just thankful for the female artists that inspired us."

Emotional Upheaval and Humour

The project emerged from a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that strange liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.

The words detail endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.

"I love way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to consciously practice ignoring the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."

Refinement of Sound

That recent resilience demanded a new sound – more raw and immediate than anything the band had done before.

For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that was founded on the drums.

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

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our memoir," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."

Stories and Shared Camaraderie

The trio's openness inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic tales.

A former partner ended things with Este over a health consideration. Alana shared a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.

"When you're going through these setbacks, 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 wilder stories, it's incredible."

A Confident Path

You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their place in the music world.

They're major draws, with successful albums and an worldwide audience.

However the sister act will forever be their number one focus.

"My sisters and I have been making music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still kicking."