🔗 Share this article

"When are you interviewing Haim?" a message pops up. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."

There's just one problem: The sender also longs to be Haim's newest recruit. What's more, we are far from alone. A host of famous admirers have openly coveted the honor.

One thing is obvious an irresistible appeal is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path performing shows at small eateries with their parents. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy Award nominees.

Similar to the best groups, they're a inseparable unit. Their videos often depict them striding in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such pure happiness you can't help but think, "I wish to be part of that, too."

"How often on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," says Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "It is the biggest compliment. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage young girls to form a group."

"Therefore anyone is invited to be the honorary member of Haim."

Grammy Milestone

The trio are speaking from a break, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.

They're presently reeling from the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first all-woman band ever in contention for the award.

"I watch the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I dreaming'?"

The importance of the nomination is deeply felt by the trio.

"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major milestone," continues Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the female artists that inspired us."

Heartbreak and Laughter

The project was born from a phase of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that strange liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.

The words track breakups and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them determining in real time who they aspire to be.

"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to consciously practice blocking the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Refinement of Style

That developed confidence called for a new sound – more unpolished and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the drums.

"Drums are such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.

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

Experiences and Shared Laughter

The trio's honesty fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their dating tales.

One man broke up with Este over a health consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling 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 light," says Alana. "So to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."

A Confident Legacy

You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their place in the music world.

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

Yet the sister act will forever be their number one commitment.

"We have been making music since I was a young child," says Alana. "It's like no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still making music."