🔗 Share this article

"When are you chatting with the band?" an inquiry arrives. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their fourth member."

However, there remains one problem: The sender also desires to be the Haims' newest recruit. And we're far from alone. Several high-profile supporters have also begged for the honor.

One thing is obvious a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their career doing sets at small eateries with their family. Now they're multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.

Like all the best ensembles, they're a tight-knit gang. Their music videos frequently depict them striding in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such unfettered exuberance you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be part of that, too."

"The numerous instances on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a bass'," says Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the ultimate honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate young girls to form a group."

"And thus everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary part of the family."

Grammy Milestone

The band are speaking from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.

They're presently celebrating the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammys – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in consideration for the prize.

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

The significance of the nomination resonates with the trio.

"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge milestone," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the pioneers that inspired us."

Personal Turmoil and Humour

The record came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to let go.

The words follow breakups and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they aspire to be.

"I love way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to make an effort in ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."

Refinement of Style

That recent resilience required a different sonic direction – more organic and powerful than anything the band had done before.

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

"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."

Anecdotes and Collective Humor

The band's candor inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their dating horror stories.

One man broke up with Este over a health consideration. Alana shared a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"When you're going through these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's incredible."

An Assured Future

One can easily sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the music world.

They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an global following.

Yet the band will forever be their number one commitment.

"We have been performing since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It's like no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still going strong."