🔗 Share this article

"When are you chatting with Haim?" an inquiry pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their extra sister."

There is only a key snag: I also desires to be Haim's additional sibling. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Multiple famous supporters have openly petitioned for the role.

One thing is obvious an irresistible appeal is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career performing shows at local delicatessens with their family. Now they're repeated Grammy contenders.

Similar to the best groups, they're a close unit. Their visuals often show them marching in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such pure exuberance you can't help but think, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."

"How often on tour that young girls told us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a bass'," states Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That is the biggest honor. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate people to start a band."

"Therefore everyone is invited to be the honorary part of the family."

Award Nod

The trio have called into home, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in for their latest album, I Quit.

They're currently reeling from the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in the running for the prize.

"I follow the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I hallucinating'?"

The weight of the honor is deeply felt by the sisters.

"We truly set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant step," adds Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the female artists that inspired us."

Emotional Upheaval and Humour

The album was born from a period of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that strange transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to move on.

The words detail departures and partings. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them determining in real time who they are becoming.

"I love way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to consciously practice shutting out the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Development of Sound

That recent toughness called for a fresh approach – more organic and immediate than anything the band had done before.

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

"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I care so much about it," she says.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," laughs Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."

Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie

The band's honesty fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic misadventures.

One man ended things with Este over a health consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."

A Confident Path

One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their place in the rock pantheon.

They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an global following.

However Haim will forever be their top commitment.

"We have been performing since I was a young child," says Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were destined for. And I'm really grateful we've made it and we're still making music."