🔗 Share this article

"Any idea when you're chatting with the band?" a message reads. "I wanted to ask if I can be their extra sister."

There's just a single issue: The sender also wants to be Haim's newest recruit. Furthermore, we are not alone. Multiple celebrated admirers have publicly coveted the position.

It's clear a special quality is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their career playing gigs at small eateries with their family. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy Award nominees.

Similar to the most iconic ensembles, they're a close unit. Their visuals frequently depict them marching in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such pure happiness you inevitably think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."

"How often on tour that fans told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a bass'," states Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That's the ultimate honor. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can motivate others to start a band."

"And thus anyone gets an invitation to be the next part of the family."

Award Milestone

The band have called into home, where they're recovering after an major tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.

They're right now reeling from the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering female band ever in the running for the trophy.

"I follow the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I dreaming'?"

The weight of the honor resonates with the trio.

"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant step," adds Alana. "But we're just thankful for the women that came before us."

Heartbreak and Candor

The album emerged from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that strange transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.

The themes follow endings and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them determining in real life who they are becoming.

"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to actively work on blocking the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Evolution of Style

That developed toughness required a new sound – more organic and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the drum sound.

"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject 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 trio's openness shaped the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their dating tales.

A former partner left Este over a medical concern. Alana recalled a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."

A Confident Legacy

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

They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an international fan base.

However the sister act will always be their top priority.

"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've made it and we're still kicking."