All Fans Are Invited to Become the Fourth Haim Sisters Member.
"Any idea when you're chatting with Haim?" a message reads. "My request was to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There is only a single issue: The sender also wants to be the Haims' additional sibling. Furthermore, we are not alone. Several famous admirers have also begged for the role.
The evidence suggests an irresistible appeal is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their career doing sets at local delicatessens with their family. Now they're repeated Grammy Award hopefuls.
Like all the greatest groups, they're a close unit. Their videos frequently feature them walking in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such boundless happiness you inevitably think, "I want to be part of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a bass'," states Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That is the ultimate honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage young girls to form a group."
"Therefore all gets an invitation to be the next Haim sister."
Award Nod
The band are speaking from a break, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in contention for the prize.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is read out," says Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I dreaming'?"
The significance of the nomination resonates with the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," adds Alana. "But we're just thankful for the female artists that inspired us."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The album emerged from a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that strange in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.
The lyrics track endings and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them working out in the moment who they are becoming.
"I adore summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to make an effort in blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Evolution of Sound
That recent confidence required a different sonic direction – more unpolished and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that was founded on the drums.
"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," laughs Alana. "I've said it, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The band's honesty fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their personal misadventures.
Someone left Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Future
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an worldwide following.
Yet the sister act will forever be their top commitment.
"We have been making music since I was four," says Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."