The World Are Encouraged to Be the Fourth Haim Sisters Member.
"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" a message arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their newest bandmate."
There is only a key snag: The sender also wants to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are far from alone. A host of celebrated fans have also petitioned for the position.
It's clear a special quality is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey performing shows at small eateries with their family. Today, they are multi-time Grammy Award nominees.
Similar to the most iconic bands, they're a inseparable unit. Their music videos repeatedly show them marching in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such unfettered exuberance you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I picked up a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "It is the greatest honour. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire people to start a band."
"And thus all is invited to be the honorary Haim sister."
Historic Milestone
The group are connecting from their homes, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.
They're right now celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in contention for the award.
"I tune into the nominations every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I dreaming'?"
The importance of the nomination resonates with the band.
"We truly set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant step," says Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the women that paved the way."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The project emerged from a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to let go.
The words track endings and goodbyes. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them working out in real time who they want to be.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to consciously practice shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Style
That recent confidence called for a different sonic direction – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the drums.
"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Laughter
The band's honesty fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their dating tales.
Someone ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana shared a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," explains Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
A Secure Path
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their position in the music world.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an international fan base.
But the sister act will always be their top priority.
"My sisters and I have been making music since I was four," says Alana. "There is no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still making music."