The World is Encouraged to Join as the Additional Haim Sisters Member.
"When are you interviewing the band?" a message pops up. "My request was to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There is only one problem: I also desires to be Haim's additional sibling. And we're not alone. Several high-profile fans have also petitioned for the position.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their path performing shows at small eateries with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.
Like all the most iconic ensembles, they're a inseparable gang. Their visuals frequently feature them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such pure happiness you find yourself thinking, "I want to be part of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a bass'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That is the ultimate honor. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can inspire people to start a band."
"Therefore everyone gets an invitation to be the next Haim sister."
Award Nod
The group have called into home, where they're recovering after an major tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're presently reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I watch the lists every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the accolade isn't lost on the sisters.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a huge milestone," continues Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the pioneers that paved the way."
Personal Turmoil and Laughter
The project emerged from a phase of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that strange transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The words follow breakups and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them working out in real life who they want to be.
"I love summary, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to consciously practice ignoring the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Sound
That newfound resilience required a different sonic direction – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that started with the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Humor
The band's candor inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic misadventures.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "So to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Path
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an international fan base.
But the band will consistently be their number one priority.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was little," shares Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still kicking."
