🔗 Share this article

"Any idea when you're chatting with the band?" a message arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their fourth member."

There is only a key snag: The sender also longs to be Haim's additional sibling. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. A host of celebrated admirers have also coveted the role.

One thing is obvious a special quality is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey playing gigs at small eateries with their parents. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.

Similar to the best ensembles, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos repeatedly feature them striding in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such unfettered joy you find yourself thinking, "I want to be involved in that, too."

"The numerous instances on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That is the greatest honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage others to make music."

"Therefore everyone is invited to be the honorary member of Haim."

Historic Milestone

The group are speaking from home, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.

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

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

The importance of the accolade resonates with the sisters.

"We truly set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a major achievement," says Alana. "But we're just grateful for the women that inspired us."

Personal Turmoil and Laughter

The project was born from a period of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that odd liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.

The words track breakups and partings. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them working out in the moment who they aspire to be.

"I love summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to consciously practice shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."

Evolution of Style

That developed confidence demanded a new sound – more organic and immediate than anything the band had done before.

For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the drums.

"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," laughs Alana. "I always say, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."

Anecdotes and Shared Humor

The trio's candor shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal misadventures.

A former partner ended things with Este over a health concern. Alana shared a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."

A Confident Future

You can clearly sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their place in the music world.

They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an international following.

However the band will consistently be their primary priority.

"We have been playing music since I was a young child," shares Alana. "There is no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still going strong."