🔗 Share this article

"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" a text arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."

There is only a single issue: I also wants to be Haim's fourth member. And we're in plentiful company. A host of famous fans have publicly petitioned for the role.

The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their path performing shows at neighborhood delis with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy Award nominees.

Similar to the most iconic groups, they're a close unit. Their visuals repeatedly depict them marching in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such pure joy you can't help but think, "I want to be part of that, too."

"How often on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "It is the greatest compliment. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire others to form a group."

"So all are welcome to be the next member of Haim."

Award Milestone

The trio have called into a break, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.

They're presently reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in the running for the award.

"I watch the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"

The weight of the nomination is deeply felt by the trio.

"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant achievement," says Alana. "But we're just grateful for the pioneers that inspired us."

Heartbreak and Candor

The album emerged from a period of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.

The lyrics follow breakups and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real life who they are becoming.

"I love summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to consciously practice blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Development of Sound

That recent toughness required a different sonic direction – more organic and direct than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on 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," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the perfect drum sound."

Stories and Shared Humor

The band's honesty inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their personal horror stories.

A former partner ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana shared a story of flying 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," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."

A Secure Future

It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their standing in the music world.

They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an global audience.

However the band will always be their top focus.

"Me and my siblings have been making music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "There is no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still making music."