All Fans Are Welcome to Join as the Fourth Haim Sisters Sister.
"When are you chatting with the band?" a text pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their extra sister."
However, there remains a single issue: The author likewise longs to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are not alone. Several celebrated supporters have publicly petitioned for the honor.
The evidence suggests something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their path playing gigs at small eateries with their family. Now they're multiple Grammy Award nominees.
Like all the best bands, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos repeatedly feature them walking in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they perform with such unfettered joy you can't help but think, "I want to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans approached us and said, 'After your show, I picked up a guitar'," says Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That's the biggest honour. That's an award in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire others to start a band."
"Therefore all are welcome to be the fourth Haim sister."
Award Recognition
The group are connecting from a break, where they're recovering after an major tour in promoting their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been nominated for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I tune into the nominations every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," says Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The importance of the nomination resonates with the trio.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major milestone," adds Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the women that inspired us."
Emotional Upheaval and Candor
The album was born from a time of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The words follow endings and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them determining in real time who they aspire to be.
"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to make an effort in ignoring the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That developed toughness demanded a different sonic direction – more organic and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the percussion.
"Drums are such a detailed thing, and I care so much about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," jokes Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Humor
The band's candor inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic misadventures.
One man ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"Experiencing these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Legacy
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their position in the music world.
They're major draws, with hit albums and an international following.
Yet the band will forever be their primary commitment.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was a young child," says Alana. "There is nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."