🔗 Share this article

"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the band?" a message reads. "My request was to ask if I can be their fourth member."

However, there remains a single issue: The sender also longs to be the Haims' newest recruit. And we're far from alone. Multiple high-profile fans have openly coveted the role.

The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey playing gigs at local delicatessens with their parents. Today, they are multiple Grammy contenders.

Similar to the greatest groups, they're a close unit. Their visuals often feature them walking in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such boundless happiness you find yourself thinking, "I want to be a piece of that, too."

"The amount of times on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That is the ultimate honour. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate people to make music."

"And thus all is invited to be the next member of Haim."

Historic Recognition

The trio are connecting from home, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.

They're right now reeling from the news it's been nominated for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in the running for the trophy.

"I follow the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is read out," says Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"

The significance of the accolade is deeply felt by the trio.

"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant milestone," adds Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the pioneers that paved the way."

Heartbreak and Laughter

The project came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that unique transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to let go.

The themes track breakups and goodbyes. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they aspire to be.

"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a slogan. You have to actively work on shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Development of Sound

That recent toughness required a new sound – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.

For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drums.

"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," laughs Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."

Anecdotes and Shared Humor

The trio's candor inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal horror stories.

One man ended things with Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.

"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."

A Secure Legacy

You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their position in the music world.

They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an international fan base.

However the sister act will always be their top commitment.

"We have been playing music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really grateful we've reached this point and we're still going strong."