🔗 Share this article

"Any idea when you're speaking to the band?" a message arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their extra sister."

There's just a single issue: The sender also desires to be Haim's fourth member. Furthermore, we are far from alone. A host of famous fans have also begged for the role.

One thing is obvious something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their career performing shows at small eateries with their family. Presently, they stand as multi-time Grammy Award hopefuls.

Similar to the greatest groups, they're a tight-knit trio. Their videos repeatedly depict them walking in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such pure happiness you can't help but think, "I want to be involved in that, too."

"How often on tour that young girls came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the ultimate honor. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage young girls to start a band."

"Therefore everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary part of the family."

Historic Nod

The trio are connecting from home, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.

They're right now reeling from the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in contention for the trophy.

"I watch the lists every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"

The significance of the accolade is deeply felt by the trio.

"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a huge achievement," continues Alana. "However we're just grateful for the women that came before us."

Emotional Upheaval and Candor

The record was born from a period of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.

The words track endings and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them working out in real life who they are becoming.

"I adore description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to make an effort in ignoring the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."

Evolution of Sound

That developed resilience demanded a fresh approach – more unpolished and direct than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that was founded on the percussion.

"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."

Stories and Collective Camaraderie

The trio's openness shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic tales.

One man broke up with Este over a medical 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 setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," explains Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."

A Secure Legacy

It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their standing in the rock pantheon.

They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an worldwide audience.

However Haim will consistently be their top priority.

"We have been playing music since I was four," concludes Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still going strong."