Everyone is Welcome to Become the Fourth Haim Sister.
"Any idea when you're chatting with Haim?" a text reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their extra sister."
However, there remains a single issue: The sender also desires to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're in plentiful company. Multiple celebrated fans have openly petitioned for the role.
It's clear something is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path performing shows at local delicatessens with their family. Today, they are multi-time Grammy Award contenders.
In the tradition of the best ensembles, they're a inseparable unit. Their visuals frequently show them marching in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such unfettered happiness you inevitably think, "I wish to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that audience members told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That's the ultimate honour. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage young girls to make music."
"Therefore everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary Haim sister."
Historic Recognition
The band are connecting from home, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're right now processing the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in contention for the award.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The significance of the accolade resonates with the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," continues Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the women that inspired us."
Emotional Upheaval and Laughter
The record came out of a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that unique liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The words track endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've had. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they are becoming.
"I love summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to consciously practice blocking the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Style
That developed resilience required a fresh approach – more raw and powerful than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the percussion.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Stories and Shared Laughter
The trio's candor fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their personal tales.
A former partner left Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," says 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 Legacy
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their standing in the music world.
They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an international following.
But the band will always be their number one commitment.
"My sisters and I have been performing since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still making music."