The World Are Welcome to Join as the Fourth Haim Sisters Sister.
"When are you interviewing the Haim sisters?" a message reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their extra sister."
However, there remains a key snag: The sender also desires to be the Haims' additional sibling. And we're in plentiful company. A host of celebrated admirers have also coveted the position.
It's clear a special quality is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their career doing sets at small eateries with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy Award nominees.
In the tradition of the greatest bands, they're a tight-knit gang. Their visuals repeatedly depict them walking in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such unfettered happiness you inevitably think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'After your show, I got a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That is the biggest honour. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can inspire young girls to form a group."
"So everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary part of the family."
Award Milestone
The group are connecting from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in for their new 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 first all-female band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I watch the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I dreaming'?"
The weight of the accolade is deeply felt by the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant milestone," continues Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the pioneers that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Candor
The project was born from a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that unique transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.
The lyrics detail endings and goodbyes. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them working out in real time who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to make an effort in ignoring the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Sound
That developed confidence demanded a fresh approach – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on the drums.
"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The band's openness fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their personal misadventures.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "So to be able to share those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Legacy
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their standing in the music world.
They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an global fan base.
But the sister act will consistently be their top priority.
"We have been making music since I was little," shares Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've reached this point and we're still making music."