🔗 Share this article

"When are you speaking to the Haim sisters?" a text arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their extra sister."

There is only a key snag: The sender also longs to be the Haims' fourth member. What's more, we are not alone. Multiple high-profile admirers have also petitioned for the position.

The evidence suggests an irresistible appeal is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their career performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Today, they are repeated Grammy hopefuls.

Like all the most iconic ensembles, they're a close trio. Their visuals repeatedly depict them striding in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such pure exuberance you inevitably think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."

"The amount of times on tour that fans told us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a drum kit'," states Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That is the ultimate honour. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate people to form a group."

"So everyone are welcome to be the next part of the family."

Grammy Recognition

The band have called into home, where they're recovering after an extensive tour in for their new album, I Quit.

They're right now celebrating the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in contention for the prize.

"I follow the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I imagining things'?"

The importance of the honor isn't lost on the trio.

"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major achievement," adds Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the female artists that paved the way."

Emotional Upheaval and Laughter

The record came out of a period of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that strange liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.

The lyrics detail departures and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them working out in real life who they want to be.

"I adore way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to consciously practice blocking the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."

Development of Music

That recent confidence called for a fresh approach – more raw and immediate 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 detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.

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

Stories and Shared Camaraderie

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

Someone broke up with Este over a medical concern. Alana recalled a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.

"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's therapeutic."

A Secure Legacy

You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their position in the industry.

They're major draws, with hit albums and an global following.

However the band will always be their number one priority.

"We have been making music since I was a young child," shares Alana. "There is nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still going strong."