The World Are Invited to Become the Extra Haim Sisters Sister.
"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" a text pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their extra sister."
There's just one problem: I also longs to be the Haims' newest recruit. What's more, we are far from alone. Several celebrated supporters have openly begged for the position.
One thing is obvious something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey performing shows at neighborhood delis with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy nominees.
Similar to the best bands, they're a inseparable unit. Their visuals repeatedly show them walking in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such unfettered joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that audience members told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I picked up a drum kit'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the greatest honour. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage people to form a group."
"So all is invited to be the next part of the family."
Grammy Milestone
The band are speaking from a break, where they're resting up after an major tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're right now celebrating the news it's been nominated for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in consideration for the award.
"I watch the lists every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The weight of the honor isn't lost on the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant milestone," says Alana. "However we're just grateful for the female artists that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The record was born from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that unique liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.
The words detail breakups and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them working out in the moment who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to consciously practice shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Style
That recent confidence required a different sonic direction – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the drum sound.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our book," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Humor
The trio's candor inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic misadventures.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
A Secure Path
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. Now, Haim are more assured of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an international audience.
Yet the band will always 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 destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still going strong."