Everyone Are Welcome to Join as the Extra Haim Member.
"Any idea when you're interviewing the Haim sisters?" a message arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their fourth member."
There is only one problem: I also wants to be Haim's fourth member. And we're far from alone. Multiple celebrated admirers have openly coveted the role.
It's clear a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their path performing shows at small eateries with their parents. Now they're repeated Grammy Award nominees.
In the tradition of the best ensembles, they're a inseparable trio. Their videos repeatedly feature them marching in sync down the roads of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such unfettered happiness you inevitably think, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'After your show, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "It is the greatest honor. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire young girls to make music."
"So all is invited to be the fourth part of the family."
Historic Nod
The band have called into a break, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in consideration for the trophy.
"I follow the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," says Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the nomination is deeply felt by the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge step," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the pioneers that paved the way."
Heartbreak and Laughter
The record came out of a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that odd liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The lyrics detail departures and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they are becoming.
"I adore summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to make an effort in ignoring the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That newfound confidence called for a new sound – more organic and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the drums.
"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's honesty shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic horror stories.
Someone 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.
"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," 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
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their standing in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an international audience.
However Haim will always be their number one focus.
"Me and my siblings have been making music since I was four," concludes Alana. "There is nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still making music."