The World is Encouraged to Be the Fourth Haim Sisters Sister.
"When are you chatting with Haim?" a text pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can be their fourth member."
There is only one problem: The sender also longs to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are not alone. A host of celebrated admirers have publicly begged for the position.
It's clear a special quality is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their family. Now they're repeated Grammy hopefuls.
In the tradition of the greatest groups, they're a tight-knit trio. Their videos often show them striding in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such boundless happiness you find yourself thinking, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that young girls told us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "It is the biggest compliment. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate young girls to start a band."
"And thus all are welcome to be the next Haim sister."
Grammy Recognition
The band are connecting from home, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first female band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I watch the lists every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The significance of the honor isn't lost on the sisters.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant step," adds Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the female artists that paved the way."
Personal Turmoil and Humour
The album was born from a period 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 move on.
The lyrics track breakups and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them determining in the moment who they aspire to be.
"I love summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to actively work on blocking the noise and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Refinement of Sound
That developed resilience demanded a fresh approach – more organic and powerful than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that was founded on the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Laughter
The trio's honesty inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their dating tales.
Someone broke up with Este over a health 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 heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Future
It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their standing in the industry.
They're major draws, with hit albums and an global following.
Yet the band will consistently be their primary focus.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was little," concludes Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still kicking."