Everyone is Welcome to Join as the Additional Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're speaking to Haim?" an inquiry pops up. "My request was to ask if I can be their extra sister."
There's just one problem: I also longs to be Haim's fourth member. And we're far from alone. A host of high-profile supporters have openly petitioned for the role.
The evidence suggests something is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey doing sets at small eateries with their family. Presently, they stand as multi-time Grammy Award nominees.
In the tradition of the most iconic bands, they're a tight-knit gang. Their visuals often show them marching in harmony down the roads of Los Angeles. On stage, they perform with such pure happiness you find yourself thinking, "I want to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," says Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That's the biggest honour. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage young girls to make music."
"So everyone are welcome to be the honorary part of the family."
Grammy Milestone
The trio are speaking from home, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in promoting their fourth album, I Quit.
They're presently 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 the running for the award.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the accolade resonates with the trio.
"We truly set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant milestone," adds Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the women that came before us."
Emotional Upheaval and Laughter
The record emerged from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that strange liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to move on.
The themes follow breakups and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they are becoming.
"I love way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to actively work on ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That recent toughness required a different sonic direction – more organic and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the drum sound.
"Drums are such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our book," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Laughter
The trio's candor shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their personal misadventures.
One man left Este over a health consideration. Alana shared a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"During these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
An Assured Future
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. Now, Haim are more assured of their standing in the rock pantheon.
They're major draws, with successful albums and an worldwide audience.
Yet the sister act will forever be their primary focus.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was a young child," says Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've gotten here and we're still making music."
