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"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" an inquiry pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can become their extra sister."

There's just one problem: The author likewise longs to be Haim's additional sibling. And we're in plentiful company. A host of high-profile admirers have also petitioned for the position.

One thing is obvious a special quality is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey playing gigs at small eateries with their parents. Today, they are multiple Grammy Award contenders.

Like all the greatest bands, they're a inseparable unit. Their visuals repeatedly depict them walking in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such pure exuberance you inevitably think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."

"The amount of times on tour that fans told us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a bass'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That is the greatest honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage others to start a band."

"Therefore everyone gets an invitation to be the next part of the family."

Award Recognition

The group have called into home, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.

They're currently celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the first all-female band ever in contention for the prize.

"I tune into the lists every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"

The significance of the nomination resonates with the trio.

"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a huge achievement," adds Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the female artists that came before us."

Heartbreak and Laughter

The record came out of a time of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that odd transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.

The themes track breakups and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real life who they are becoming.

"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to actively work on shutting out the noise and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."

Evolution of Style

That newfound resilience demanded a fresh approach – more organic and immediate than anything the band had done before.

For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that was founded on the percussion.

"Drums are such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."

Anecdotes and Collective Humor

The trio's openness fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters disclosed some of their dating misadventures.

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

"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."

A Confident Future

It's not difficult sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their place in the music world.

They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an international following.

However the sister act will consistently be their top commitment.

"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was four," concludes Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still going strong."