🔗 Share this article

"Do you know when you'll be chatting with Haim?" a message pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can be their extra sister."

However, there remains a single issue: I also wants to be Haim's fourth member. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. A host of famous supporters have openly coveted the honor.

It's clear a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their career performing shows at small eateries with their family. Today, they are multi-time Grammy Award contenders.

In the tradition of the most iconic bands, they're a close trio. Their videos frequently feature them walking in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such boundless joy you find yourself thinking, "I want to be a piece of that, too."

"The amount of times on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I picked up a bass'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the biggest honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate people to start a band."

"And thus all gets an invitation to be the next Haim sister."

Grammy Recognition

The group have called into their homes, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in for their new album, I Quit.

They're presently celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in consideration for the trophy.

"I tune into the nominations every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"

The significance of the accolade isn't lost on the band.

"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant step," adds Alana. "But we're just grateful for the pioneers that inspired us."

Emotional Upheaval and Humour

The record was born from a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that strange transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.

The themes detail departures and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them working out in real life who they aspire to be.

"I adore way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to consciously practice blocking the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."

Evolution of Music

That recent resilience called for a fresh approach – more raw and direct than anything the band had done before.

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

"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," laughs Alana. "I've said it, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."

Experiences and Collective Humor

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

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

"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."

An Assured Path

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

They're major draws, with hit albums and an international audience.

But the sister act will consistently be their number one commitment.

"We have been performing since I was little," says Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still making music."