Everyone is Welcome to Be the Additional Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the Haim sisters?" an inquiry pops up. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There's just a single issue: The author likewise desires to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Multiple celebrated fans have also coveted the position.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey performing shows at neighborhood delis with their parents. Now they're multi-time Grammy Award nominees.
Like all the most iconic groups, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos frequently depict them marching in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such unfettered joy you inevitably think, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "It is the ultimate honor. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire young girls to form a group."
"Therefore everyone gets an invitation to be the fourth member of Haim."
Grammy Milestone
The trio are connecting from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're presently reeling from the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-female band ever in the running for the prize.
"I follow the lists every year, so it kind of feels like The Truman Show when your name is called," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the accolade isn't lost on the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a huge milestone," continues Alana. "However we're just thankful for the women that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Laughter
The project came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that odd transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to let go.
The words follow endings and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them working out in real time who they want to be.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to make an effort in shutting out the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Sound
That recent resilience called for a different sonic direction – more raw and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the drum sound.
"Percussion is such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our book," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."
Stories and Shared Camaraderie
The trio's candor inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic tales.
One man left Este over a health concern. Alana shared a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
A Secure Legacy
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their place in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an international audience.
Yet Haim will always be their top commitment.
"We have been making music since I was four," says Alana. "It's like no other path that we were destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still making music."