Everyone is Welcome to Be the Extra Haim Sister.
"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the band?" a text pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their newest bandmate."
There's just one problem: The sender also desires to be Haim's fourth member. Furthermore, we are far from alone. Multiple celebrated fans have openly petitioned for the honor.
One thing is obvious a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their path playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their family. Now they're multi-time Grammy hopefuls.
Like all the best groups, they're a tight-knit unit. Their visuals frequently feature them marching in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such pure happiness you inevitably think, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a drum kit'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the ultimate honor. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage people to make music."
"And thus anyone are welcome to be the fourth part of the family."
Grammy Nod
The trio are connecting from a break, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in the running for the award.
"I follow the lists every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the nomination resonates with the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major achievement," continues Alana. "But we're just thankful for the female artists that came before us."
Heartbreak and Candor
The project came out of a time of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music explores that odd liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The lyrics follow endings and goodbyes. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they want to be.
"I love summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to actively work on blocking the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That recent resilience demanded a new sound – more unpolished and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the drums.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our memoir," jokes Alana. "I always say, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Humor
The band's candor fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their personal misadventures.
Someone left Este over a health concern. Alana shared a story of travelling to spend 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," explains Alana. "Thus to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
An Assured Future
It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more assured of their standing in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an global audience.
Yet Haim will forever be their top focus.
"My sisters and I have been performing since I was little," shares Alana. "There is no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still going strong."