🔗 Share this article

"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the band?" an inquiry arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their extra sister."

However, there remains one problem: The sender also desires to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are not alone. A host of high-profile admirers have openly petitioned for the role.

The evidence suggests a special quality is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their path doing sets at local delicatessens with their family. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy Award hopefuls.

Similar to the most iconic groups, they're a close trio. Their visuals frequently show them striding in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such boundless joy you find yourself thinking, "I want to be a piece of that, too."

"How often on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the greatest compliment. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate people to make music."

"So everyone are welcome to be the next part of the family."

Grammy Nod

The trio have called into their homes, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.

They're right now processing the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in consideration for the award.

"I follow the announcements every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," says Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"

The weight of the accolade isn't lost on the sisters.

"We truly set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a huge achievement," continues Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the pioneers that came before us."

Personal Turmoil and Humour

The project came out of a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that strange in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to let go.

The words follow breakups and partings. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've got. You can hear them working out in the moment who they aspire to be.

"I adore description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to actively work on shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."

Refinement of Sound

That recent resilience demanded a different sonic direction – more organic and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that was founded on the drums.

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

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," quips Alana. "I've said it, our albums cannot begin until we find the perfect drum sound."

Stories and Collective Humor

The trio's honesty shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their dating tales.

One man ended things with Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of flying 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 light," says Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."

A Secure Future

You can clearly sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their place in the industry.

They're major draws, with hit albums and an worldwide following.

Yet the band will always be their number one focus.

"We have been making music since I was little," says Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."