The World is Encouraged to Join as the Extra Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're speaking to the band?" an inquiry reads. "I wanted to ask if I can become their fourth member."
However, there remains a key snag: The sender also longs to be the Haims' fourth member. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Multiple high-profile fans have also begged for the position.
It's clear something is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their career playing gigs at small eateries with their family. Now they're multi-time Grammy Award nominees.
Like all the greatest bands, they're a close unit. Their visuals repeatedly show them walking in sync down the roads of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such pure exuberance you inevitably think, "I want to be involved in that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a bass'," says Alana, the youngest of the trio. "It is the biggest compliment. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage people to start a band."
"So all are welcome to be the honorary Haim sister."
Historic Nod
The trio are connecting from home, where they're resting up after an major tour in for their latest album, I Quit.
They're presently reeling from the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in consideration for the trophy.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the honor is deeply felt by the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant achievement," continues Alana. "But we're just thankful for the female artists that came before us."
Emotional Upheaval and Candor
The project was born from a time of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that odd in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.
The lyrics detail endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them determining in the moment who they want to be.
"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to make an effort in shutting out the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That newfound resilience called for a new sound – more unpolished and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that started with the drums.
"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Laughter
The band's candor inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their personal horror stories.
Someone ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
A Secure Legacy
You can clearly sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their standing in the music world.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide following.
Yet the band will forever be their top commitment.
"We have been playing music since I was four," shares Alana. "There is no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still going strong."