The World is Encouraged to Become the Extra Haim Member.
"Any idea when you're interviewing Haim?" a message reads. "I wanted to ask if I can become their extra sister."
There's just one problem: I also wants to be Haim's fourth member. And we're not alone. Several famous admirers have also petitioned for the role.
One thing is obvious something is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their career doing sets at local delicatessens with their family. Now they're multi-time Grammy contenders.
Like all the greatest bands, they're a close trio. Their music videos often depict them walking in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such pure joy you can't help but think, "I want to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That's the biggest honor. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage people to make music."
"And thus everyone is invited to be the fourth Haim sister."
Award Recognition
The band are connecting from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're currently reeling from the news it's been nominated for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering female band ever in the running for the trophy.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the honor resonates with the trio.
"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major step," continues Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the female artists that paved the way."
Heartbreak and Humour
The album emerged from a period of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that odd transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The themes follow departures and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.
"I love summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a mantra. You have to actively work on shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That recent toughness demanded a different sonic direction – more organic and powerful than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drum sound.
"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Laughter
The band's candor shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their romantic misadventures.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical concern. Alana recalled a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's no light," explains Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Legacy
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an worldwide audience.
Yet the band will always be their top commitment.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was little," shares Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still making music."