🔗 Share this article

"When are you interviewing the band?" a text arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can become their fourth member."

There is only one problem: The author likewise longs to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are far from alone. A host of celebrated supporters have openly begged for the position.

It's clear something is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Today, they are multi-time Grammy nominees.

Similar to the most iconic bands, they're a tight-knit unit. Their visuals repeatedly show them walking in harmony down the roads of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such boundless happiness you can't help but think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."

"How often on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a bass'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "It is the greatest honor. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage others to start a band."

"Therefore everyone is invited to be the fourth member of Haim."

Grammy Milestone

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

They're currently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in consideration for the trophy.

"I follow the lists every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I dreaming'?"

The significance of the accolade is deeply felt by the trio.

"We truly set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant step," says Alana. "However we're just thankful for the women that came before us."

Emotional Upheaval and Candor

The album emerged from a time of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that strange transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.

The words detail breakups and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the kind of love they've got. You can hear them determining in real time who they are becoming.

"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a mantra. You have to consciously practice ignoring the noise and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Development of Music

That recent confidence demanded a different sonic direction – more unpolished and powerful than anything the band had done before.

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

"Drums are such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our biography," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."

Stories and Shared Camaraderie

The band's candor fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their personal tales.

One man broke up with Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.

"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."

A Confident Path

You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their standing in the music world.

They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an international fan base.

Yet Haim will always be their top commitment.

"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was four," shares Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still kicking."