🔗 Share this article

"Any idea when you're speaking to the band?" a text pops up. "My request was to ask if I can become their extra sister."

There's just a single issue: The sender also wants to be the Haims' fourth member. Furthermore, we are far from alone. Multiple famous fans have also begged for the position.

The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their path doing sets at neighborhood delis with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.

Similar to the greatest ensembles, they're a inseparable gang. Their videos often show them walking in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such boundless joy you can't help but think, "I want to be part of that, too."

"How often on tour that young girls came up to us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That is the biggest compliment. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate young girls to make music."

"And thus all is invited to be the honorary member of Haim."

Award Recognition

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

They're right now processing the news it's been shortlisted for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first all-female band ever in the running for the prize.

"I tune into the announcements every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I dreaming'?"

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

"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a huge step," says Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the women that came before us."

Heartbreak and Candor

The record came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that strange liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.

The themes follow breakups and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they aspire to be.

"I adore description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to consciously practice shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Refinement of Sound

That recent confidence called for a fresh approach – more organic and direct than anything the band had done before.

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

"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she says.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our biography," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."

Stories and Shared Laughter

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

A former partner broke up with Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.

"During these breakups, you just feel like there's no light," says Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."

A Confident Path

One can easily sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their standing in the music world.

They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide fan base.

But Haim will consistently be their primary focus.

"Me and my siblings have been making music since I was a young child," says Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."