The World Are Invited to Be the Additional Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"When are you speaking to the band?" a message reads. "My request was to ask if I can become their newest bandmate."
There is only a single issue: The sender also wants to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Multiple high-profile admirers have openly begged for the honor.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their career playing gigs at small eateries with their parents. Now they're multi-time Grammy contenders.
Similar to the greatest bands, they're a close trio. Their videos repeatedly depict them walking in sync down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such unfettered joy you inevitably think, "I want to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that young girls came up to us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a bass'," says Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That is the greatest honor. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage others to start a band."
"So anyone gets an invitation to be the fourth part of the family."
Award Milestone
The band are speaking from a break, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.
They're right now processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in contention for the prize.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," explains Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the honor resonates with the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major achievement," adds Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the women that inspired us."
Emotional Upheaval and Candor
The album was born from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that odd transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The lyrics follow endings and partings. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them working out in real time who they aspire to be.
"I love description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a slogan. You have to actively work on ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That newfound confidence called for a different sonic direction – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our book," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Stories and Shared Laughter
The trio's candor inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic misadventures.
One man broke up with Este over a health concern. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
A Confident Path
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're major draws, with successful albums and an worldwide fan base.
However the sister act will forever be their top commitment.
"My sisters and I have been performing since I was four," says Alana. "There is no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."