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"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" a message reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their newest bandmate."

There is only a single issue: The author likewise wants to be the Haims' fourth member. Furthermore, we are not alone. Several celebrated fans have also coveted the honor.

One thing is obvious a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their career playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their family. Today, they are repeated Grammy contenders.

In the tradition of the greatest bands, they're a close unit. Their videos often show them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they perform with such boundless happiness you can't help but think, "I'd love to be part of that, too."

"The amount of times on tour that young girls came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That's the ultimate honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate people to start a band."

"And thus anyone are welcome to be the honorary Haim sister."

Grammy Recognition

The group are connecting from their homes, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.

They're presently processing the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first female band ever in consideration for the award.

"I watch the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," explains Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"

The weight of the nomination isn't lost on the trio.

"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," continues Alana. "However we're just grateful for the women that came before us."

Heartbreak and Laughter

The record was born from a period of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that odd in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to move on.

The themes track endings and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them determining in real life who they want to be.

"I adore description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to actively work on blocking the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."

Evolution of Style

That newfound toughness demanded a new sound – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.

For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the percussion.

"The drum sound is such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," laughs Alana. "I've said it, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."

Experiences and Collective Camaraderie

The band's honesty fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their personal misadventures.

Someone broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.

"Experiencing these setbacks, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."

An Assured Future

It's not difficult sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their position in the rock pantheon.

They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an international fan base.

But Haim will always be their primary priority.

"Me and my siblings have been playing music since I was little," shares Alana. "There is no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still kicking."