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"When are you chatting with the Haim sisters?" a text pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can be their fourth member."

There's just a single issue: I also desires to be the Haims' fourth member. Furthermore, we are far from alone. A host of celebrated fans have also coveted the role.

One thing is obvious an irresistible appeal is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path performing shows at small eateries with their family. Now they're multi-time Grammy hopefuls.

Similar to the best ensembles, they're a tight-knit unit. Their visuals often show them walking in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such boundless joy you can't help but think, "I want to be part of that, too."

"How often on tour that young girls told us and said, 'After your show, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the trio. "It is the biggest honor. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage people to form a group."

"And thus everyone gets an invitation to be the fourth member of Haim."

Award Milestone

The trio are speaking from home, where they're resting up after an extensive tour in for their fourth 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 pioneering all-female band ever in contention for the prize.

"I tune into the lists every year, so it kind of feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I dreaming'?"

The significance of the honor is deeply felt by the band.

"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major milestone," adds Alana. "But we're just thankful for the women that inspired us."

Emotional Upheaval and Candor

The album was born from a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music explores that strange liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to let go.

The themes detail departures and partings. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they want to be.

"I love way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to actively work on shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Refinement of Sound

That developed resilience called for a different sonic direction – more unpolished and powerful than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the drums.

"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the perfect drum sound."

Anecdotes and Collective Humor

The band's honesty fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their dating misadventures.

Someone left Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.

"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."

An Assured Future

One can easily sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their place in the rock pantheon.

They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an global audience.

However the sister act will forever be their top priority.

"We have been making music since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."