Everyone is Welcome to Become the Extra Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be chatting with Haim?" a message pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
However, there remains a key snag: The author likewise desires to be the Haims' newest recruit. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Several famous supporters have publicly coveted the role.
The evidence suggests something is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey performing shows at small eateries with their parents. Today, they are multi-time Grammy Award nominees.
In the tradition of the most iconic bands, they're a close gang. Their music videos often show them striding in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such pure happiness you inevitably think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the greatest honour. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can inspire others to form a group."
"And thus everyone is invited to be the next member of Haim."
Grammy Milestone
The trio have called into a break, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their fourth album, I Quit.
They're right now reeling from the news it's been in the running for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"
The weight of the nomination is deeply felt by the trio.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant milestone," continues Alana. "But we're just thankful for the female artists that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Humour
The project came out of a phase of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that strange in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not quite ready to move on.
The themes follow breakups and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them working out in real life who they want to be.
"That's a perfect description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to actively work on shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Development of Music
That newfound resilience demanded a different sonic direction – more unpolished and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on the drums.
"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie
The trio's honesty shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their personal tales.
One man ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana shared a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."
A Secure Path
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their position in the music world.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an global audience.
However the band will always be their top commitment.
"We have been making music since I was four," says Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."