🔗 Share this article

"Do you know when you'll be speaking to Haim?" an inquiry reads. "My request was to ask if I can join as their fourth member."

However, there remains one problem: The sender also wants to be the Haims' fourth member. And we're in plentiful company. Several high-profile admirers have openly coveted the position.

The evidence suggests an irresistible appeal is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career performing shows at local delicatessens with their family. Today, they are multi-time Grammy Award nominees.

Similar to the greatest ensembles, they're a inseparable trio. Their visuals frequently show them walking in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such unfettered joy you inevitably think, "I want to be involved in that, too."

"The numerous instances on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a drum kit'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the greatest honor. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate people to start a band."

"So all are welcome to be the honorary Haim sister."

Grammy Nod

The group are speaking from their homes, where they're resting up after an lengthy tour in for their latest album, I Quit.

They're presently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering female band ever in the running for the award.

"I follow the nominations every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"

The significance of the accolade resonates with the trio.

"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant step," adds Alana. "However we're just thankful for the pioneers that came before us."

Personal Turmoil and Laughter

The record was born from a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that strange transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.

The words follow breakups and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they want to be.

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

Evolution of Music

That developed toughness required a fresh approach – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.

For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the percussion.

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

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

Stories and Collective Humor

The band's honesty shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their dating tales.

A former partner left Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."

A Secure Path

You can clearly sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their place in the industry.

They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an international following.

However the band will always be their number one priority.

"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."