🔗 Share this article

"Any idea when you're chatting with the Haim sisters?" a message pops up. "My request was to ask if I can join as their extra sister."

There's just a key snag: I also longs to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're not alone. Multiple famous supporters have openly coveted the position.

The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey playing gigs at small eateries with their parents. Now they're repeated Grammy Award contenders.

Like all the greatest bands, they're a tight-knit trio. Their music videos frequently feature them striding in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such unfettered joy you can't help but think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."

"The numerous instances on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a bass'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the trio. "It is the greatest honor. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire others to form a group."

"Therefore all gets an invitation to be the next Haim sister."

Award Recognition

The band are speaking from a break, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.

They're presently reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in consideration for the trophy.

"I watch the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I imagining things'?"

The weight of the accolade is deeply felt by the band.

"We truly set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," continues Alana. "But we're just thankful for the female artists that came before us."

Heartbreak and Laughter

The record was born from a time of transition. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that unique transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.

The lyrics track departures and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them working out in real life who they want to be.

"I adore summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a mantra. You have to consciously practice blocking the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."

Refinement of Style

That recent resilience called for a new sound – more organic and direct than anything the band had done before.

For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the percussion.

"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she says.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," quips Alana. "I've said it, our albums cannot begin until we find the perfect drum sound."

Stories and Collective Camaraderie

The trio's honesty shaped the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal horror stories.

Someone left Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."

An Assured Path

It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their position in the music world.

They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an global following.

Yet Haim will forever be their primary priority.

"My sisters and I have been making music since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It's like no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've made it and we're still going strong."