The World is Welcome to Be the Extra Haim Member.
"Any idea when you're interviewing the band?" a message reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their fourth member."
There's just a key snag: The sender also desires to be Haim's fourth member. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Multiple high-profile admirers have also coveted the role.
The evidence suggests a special quality is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path playing gigs at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy nominees.
In the tradition of the greatest bands, they're a inseparable gang. Their visuals frequently depict them striding in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such boundless exuberance you inevitably think, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that young girls told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That's the greatest compliment. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate people to make music."
"Therefore everyone is invited to be the next part of the family."
Award Recognition
The group have called into home, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I tune into the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the accolade is deeply felt by the band.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge achievement," continues Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the female artists that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Laughter
The album came out of a period of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The words track departures and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them working out in real time who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect summary, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to consciously practice shutting out the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That newfound confidence called for a different sonic direction – more unpolished and powerful than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the percussion.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Camaraderie
The band's openness inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal misadventures.
Someone broke up with Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Path
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their standing in the industry.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an worldwide following.
But the band will consistently be their number one priority.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were destined for. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."