"Do you know when you'll be interviewing Haim?" a text arrives. "My request was to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There's just a key snag: The author likewise longs to be the Haims' fourth member. And we're not alone. Several high-profile fans have publicly coveted the honor.
One thing is obvious something is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their family. Today, they are repeated Grammy nominees.
Similar to the most iconic ensembles, they're a tight-knit trio. Their videos repeatedly feature them walking in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they perform with such boundless happiness you can't help but think, "I want to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a guitar'," says Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That is the biggest honour. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate people to form a group."
"And thus everyone are welcome to be the next Haim sister."
The trio have called into their homes, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.
They're right now processing the news it's been shortlisted for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first female band ever in consideration for the trophy.
"I follow the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the nomination isn't lost on the sisters.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant milestone," continues Alana. "But we're just thankful for the female artists that paved the way."
The record came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that unique in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.
The words track endings and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them determining in real time who they aspire to be.
"I love summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a personal statement. You have to make an effort in ignoring the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
That newfound confidence demanded a different sonic direction – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on the drums.
"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
The trio's openness inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic horror stories.
One man left Este over a medical concern. Alana shared a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"Experiencing these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their standing in the music world.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an global following.
However the sister act will forever be their number one focus.
"We have been playing music since I was little," concludes Alana. "There is nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've made it and we're still making music."
A tech journalist and software developer with over a decade of experience covering AI advancements and cybersecurity trends across Europe.
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