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"When are you chatting with the Haim sisters?" an inquiry pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their extra sister."

There is only one problem: The sender also longs to be Haim's fourth member. And we're not alone. A host of celebrated admirers have publicly begged for the honor.

It's clear a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their path playing gigs at small eateries with their family. Now they're repeated Grammy hopefuls.

In the tradition of the greatest bands, they're a tight-knit trio. Their visuals repeatedly depict them walking in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such pure happiness you can't help but think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."

"How often on tour that young girls came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I bought a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That's the ultimate compliment. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage people to form a group."

"Therefore everyone is invited to be the next Haim sister."

Historic Milestone

The band are speaking from home, where they're recovering after an extensive tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.

They're currently celebrating the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the very first female band ever in consideration for the trophy.

"I tune into the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I imagining things'?"

The weight of the nomination is deeply felt by the band.

"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant milestone," says Alana. "However we're just thankful for the female artists that paved the way."

Emotional Upheaval and Laughter

The album came out of a period of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.

The words follow breakups and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they want to be.

"I love way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to consciously practice shutting out the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Evolution of Style

That developed resilience required a different sonic direction – more raw and direct than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the drum sound.

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

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."

Stories and Collective Humor

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

One man ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.

"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's therapeutic."

A Secure Path

One can easily sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their standing in the music world.

They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an worldwide following.

But Haim will always be their primary priority.

"Me and my siblings have been playing music since I was a young child," says Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still making music."