All Fans Are Invited to Become the Extra Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the band?" an inquiry arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There is only one problem: The author likewise wants to be Haim's additional sibling. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Several high-profile supporters have publicly petitioned for the role.
One thing is obvious something is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path playing gigs at local delicatessens with their family. Now they're multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.
Like all the greatest bands, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos often show them striding in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such unfettered joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be part of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I picked up a drum kit'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "It is the greatest honour. That's an award in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage others to form a group."
"Therefore all gets an invitation to be the fourth member of Haim."
Grammy Nod
The group are connecting from a break, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their fourth 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 first all-woman band ever in contention for the prize.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I dreaming'?"
The significance of the nomination is deeply felt by the trio.
"We truly set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant achievement," continues Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the pioneers that came before us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The record emerged from a period of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that odd in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The lyrics detail endings and goodbyes. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.
"I adore description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a slogan. You have to consciously practice shutting out the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That recent resilience required a new sound – more raw and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the drum sound.
"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our biography," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Camaraderie
The trio's candor shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.
A former partner left Este over a health consideration. Alana recalled 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 no light," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Path
It's not difficult sense a evolution 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.
Yet Haim will always be their number one priority.
"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 thankful we've made it and we're still kicking."
