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"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" a text arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."

There's just one problem: The sender also longs to be Haim's additional sibling. What's more, we are in plentiful company. Several high-profile fans have publicly coveted the role.

It's clear a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their path doing sets at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're repeated Grammy contenders.

In the tradition of the most iconic bands, they're a tight-knit trio. Their videos repeatedly feature them walking in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such pure exuberance you find yourself thinking, "I want to be involved in that, too."

"How often on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the greatest honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate others to start a band."

"Therefore everyone are welcome to be the next member of Haim."

Grammy Nod

The band have called into their homes, where they're recovering after an major tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.

They're presently reeling from the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in contention for the prize.

"I watch the nominations 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, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I dreaming'?"

The importance of the nomination isn't lost on the sisters.

"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant step," adds Alana. "However we're just thankful for the pioneers that paved the way."

Emotional Upheaval and Candor

The album was born from a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that strange liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.

The words follow departures and partings. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them determining in real time who they are becoming.

"I love description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to actively work on ignoring the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."

Refinement of Style

That recent toughness called for a fresh approach – more unpolished and direct 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 nuanced thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our biography," laughs Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the perfect drum sound."

Anecdotes and Collective Laughter

The band's openness fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their personal tales.

A former partner broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of flying 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 no hope," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."

A Confident Future

One can easily sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their position in the industry.

They're top-billed acts, with hit albums and an worldwide fan base.

But the band will forever be their number one focus.

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