🔗 Share this article

"When are you chatting with the Haim sisters?" an inquiry arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."

There's just a key snag: The sender also wants to be the Haims' newest recruit. And we're not alone. Several famous fans have openly petitioned for the position.

One thing is obvious something is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey performing shows at neighborhood delis with their family. Today, they are multiple Grammy Award contenders.

Similar to the best ensembles, they're a close gang. Their visuals often depict them striding in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such pure happiness you can't help but think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."

"The amount of times on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I picked up a drum kit'," says Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That is the biggest honour. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate others to start a band."

"So all is invited to be the next part of the family."

Award Recognition

The group have called into a break, where they're recovering after an major tour in promoting their fourth album, I Quit.

They're right now celebrating the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in the running for the prize.

"I watch the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I dreaming'?"

The weight of the honor resonates with the band.

"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a huge achievement," continues Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the women that paved the way."

Heartbreak and Candor

The record came out of a period of transition. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that odd in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.

The lyrics track endings and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they are becoming.

"I love way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a mantra. You have to consciously practice blocking the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Evolution of Music

That recent confidence demanded a new sound – more unpolished and direct 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 care so much about it," she states.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."

Anecdotes and Collective Humor

The trio's openness fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.

Someone left Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.

"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."

A Secure Future

It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their position in the industry.

They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an international audience.

However the band will consistently be their primary priority.

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