🔗 Share this article

"Any idea when you're interviewing Haim?" a text reads. "My request was to ask if I can become their newest bandmate."

There is only a key snag: I also desires to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're in plentiful company. Multiple high-profile supporters have openly coveted the honor.

One thing is obvious something is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey doing sets at neighborhood delis with their parents. Today, they are multiple Grammy Award nominees.

Like all the best groups, they're a inseparable gang. Their music videos often feature them striding in harmony down the roads of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such boundless happiness you inevitably think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."

"The numerous instances on tour that audience members told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That is the biggest honour. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage others to start a band."

"And thus everyone are welcome to be the fourth member of Haim."

Grammy Recognition

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

They're presently celebrating the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the first all-female band ever in consideration for the prize.

"I watch the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"

The weight of the nomination is deeply felt by the sisters.

"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant achievement," adds Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the pioneers that inspired us."

Heartbreak and Humour

The record came out of a period of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that strange in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to let go.

The words track departures and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they are becoming.

"That's a perfect summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to consciously practice shutting out the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."

Evolution of Style

That newfound toughness required 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 started with the percussion.

"Percussion is such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she states.

"'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 right drum sound."

Anecdotes and Shared Laughter

The band's candor fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their personal misadventures.

Someone ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."

A Secure Legacy

One can easily sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their place in the music world.

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

However the band will forever be their number one focus.

"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was four," concludes Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."