Everyone Are Welcome to Become the Fourth Haim Sister.
"When are you interviewing the Haim sisters?" a message arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can join as their extra sister."
However, there remains one problem: The sender also wants to be the Haims' fourth member. What's more, we are not alone. A host of celebrated admirers have publicly petitioned for the honor.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their path doing sets at neighborhood delis with their parents. Today, they are repeated Grammy Award nominees.
In the tradition of the best bands, they're a close unit. Their music videos repeatedly show them marching in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such boundless happiness you inevitably think, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That is the greatest honour. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can inspire others to start a band."
"And thus everyone gets an invitation to be the next Haim sister."
Grammy Recognition
The group have called into home, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammys – with Haim the first female band ever in the running for the award.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I dreaming'?"
The significance of the accolade is deeply felt by the trio.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," adds Alana. "But we're just thankful for the women that came before us."
Emotional Upheaval and Candor
The project came out of a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.
The words track breakups and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them working out in the moment who they aspire to be.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to make an effort in ignoring the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That recent confidence required a different sonic direction – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the drum sound.
"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The band's openness inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their personal horror stories.
One man ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Legacy
You can clearly sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide fan base.
Yet the band will consistently be their primary priority.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was four," says Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've reached this point and we're still kicking."