"Any idea when you're interviewing Haim?" a text reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their extra sister."
However, there remains a single issue: I also longs to be the Haims' fourth member. Furthermore, we are far from alone. Several celebrated admirers have publicly petitioned for the position.
One thing is obvious something is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their career performing shows at neighborhood delis with their parents. Presently, they stand as multi-time Grammy hopefuls.
In the tradition of the greatest ensembles, they're a inseparable unit. Their music videos often show them marching in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such boundless exuberance you can't help but think, "I want to be part of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans told us and said, 'After your show, I bought a bass'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That's the ultimate honor. That's an award in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can motivate others to make music."
"So all are welcome to be the honorary part of the family."
The group have called into their homes, where they're resting up after an major tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in the running for the trophy.
"I watch the lists every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," explains Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the honor is deeply felt by the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant step," continues Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the women that inspired us."
The album emerged from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that odd liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The lyrics track breakups and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them determining in the moment who they want to be.
"I love description, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to actively work on blocking the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
That newfound confidence required a new sound – more raw and immediate 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 detailed thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our memoir," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
The band's honesty inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their dating tales.
One man left Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
One can easily sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their position in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an international fan base.
Yet the band will consistently be their top focus.
"We have been playing music since I was little," says Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've made it and we're still going strong."
Milan is een ervaren opticien met een passie voor visuele technologie en klantgerichtheid.
