HAIM Opens Up About Sexism in the Studio
If you ask HAIM which famous works of art best represent each of the three sisters’ individual personalities, their answers are surprisingly introspective. Este, loved by fans for her sense of humor (including the legendary faces she makes while shredding the bass on stage), chooses the energetic, colorful works of Kandinsky. Alana, the youngest sister known for her cool, playful edge, selects the bold, expressive paintings of Rothko. Lead singer Danielle, perhaps the most mysterious of the siblings, points to the romantic, pensive works of Klimt, particularly his quintessential Art Nouveau-inspired classic, “The Kiss.”
And that’s the thing about the breezy Los Angeles band: much like the multicolored tesserae that assemble a mosaic, each sister brings a pronounced energy or skill that complements and strengthens her siblings’ efforts. But while the women of HAIM are themselves distinct, their music, particularly 2018’s emotive sophomore album, Something to Tell You, remains as indefinable as ever—blending R&B beats, pop melodies and classic rock band harmonies to craft a signature sound that has stumped music critics who, in the past, were too eager to pigeonhole HAIM as a “soft rock girl band.”
[Image: HAIM wears Calvin Klein 205W39NYC]
As HAIM strap in for their North American tour (April 3 through May 28), Este, Danielle and Alana find themselves leaning into their sisterhood for support more than ever. Below, the trio chat about their Sister Sister Sister tour, the blurring lines of genre and how men in the music industry can be better allies.
ERICA RUSSELL Este, did Cheryl Cole ever call you back?
ESTE HAIM Oh my God, you know what? I was an idiot and didn’t leave my phone number on the message. I probably should have. I don’t really think it even required a call back, really. I just wanted her to know we were having fun!
ER Were you dying when you saw all the publications the next morning talking about “the drunk woman at the BRITS”?
EH That’s the other thing that I think a lot of people don’t know about me: I’m diabetic. I don’t drink! That was just me having fun and trying not to take things so seriously.
ER The BBC 1 interview was hilarious, though. Would you guys ever consider starting a Sister Sister Sister podcast?
ALANA HAIM Well, we had a show on Apple Music, which was super fun. We only did one season. I wanna bring it back, but I don’t know. We never say never to anything. When we were doing that, I think we laughed way too much to the point where the editing process was super taxing. It was super fun. I would love to bring back our radio show, though.
ER The Wiggles recently tweeted you guys, which was super cute. If you could soundtrack or appear as characters on any kids show, which one would it be?
AH I think we all need to be the Powerpuff Girls.
DANIELLE HAIM Oh my God, yes.
EH I would be Bubbles!
AH Este would be Bubbles. I feel like Danielle would be Blossom. I’ll be Buttercup.
EH Maybe we’ll redo the theme song one day.
ER How are you guys preparing for the upcoming tour?
AH It’s been awesome. This has been a long road for us. All these little details, now that we’ve been planning for months, are coming to fruition which is really exciting. We really do everything. Thank God there’s three of us because there’s so much to do. We’ve all delegated specific jobs to one another.
ER And you’re playing Radio City Music Hall.
AH Yes, two nights.
DH We’ve wanted to play there ever since we were kids and we would see The Rockettes special. It’s such an iconic venue. To be able to play it twice is kind of mind blowing.
ER Are you gonna practice your kick line?
DH I mean, honestly, we’ve been practicing it since we were children. I’m not as limber as I used to be, but I think we can figure it out. We’re gonna just get fake legs and attach them to our pants and throw them up to make it look like we know what we’re doing. [Laughs]
ER I’m thrilled that Lizzo is opening for you. She’s incredible.
AH Yeah! We met her at a party last year and when she walked into the room, she took everybody’s breath away. She has such a presence. Even when she’s not even performing, she walks into the room and you’re like, “Oh, shit! Who is that!?” We all instantly connected, and then it was like, “She needs to come on tour with us.” She’s so fucking awesome and so fun and so talented and her songs are incredible. We really wanted the Sister Sister Sister tour to be full of girl power, but we also wanted it to be a party and I really feel like Lizzo’s gonna start the night off in the best way. It’s gonna be super fun.
ER So, my favorite song on the album is “Want You Back,” which I think may be one of the poppiest songs you’ve released. You worked with Bloodpop on that song; what was that like? What sounds are you interested in exploring in the future?
DH Working with Bloodpop was really cool. His process is so different than ours. He’ll take stuff that’s already recorded and just flip it and speed it up or pitch it up. It’s a different process. We’re a band. I’m a GarageBand kid, but I don’t really know how to do the stuff that Bloodpop does. He knows how to make crazy sounds on the computer. We’re big fans of his...We’re always writing. Always trying to explore different sonic landscapes. We’re actually working on new music. So hopefully you’ll hear it very soon.
ER I’ve always felt your music was indefinable in a way. It’s such a hybrid of sounds: R&B, pop, rock, alternative...
DH That’s a huge compliment. We never really thought we fit into a specific genre. People want to put you in a box and paint you as a specific genre, but we never really adhered to any specific one.
ER I think that the future of music is heading in a direction where it’s more about exploring the spaces between genres and the spaces outside of genres. Does that make sense?
DH Totally. That’s what excites us as a band. I mean, I just turned 29. We grew up with iPods. We listened to so many different types of music within one little device and now, with Spotify, it’s even crazier because you can literally listen to anything in a matter of seconds. I think people aren’t really just listening to one specific genre anymore. We’re ingesting all different types of things.
ER I love that the lines are blurring.
EH Me too. But there are parts of going to the record store and buying a record and listening to that one record over and over again that I miss. I miss the idea of going to a store and ingesting a whole album because you spent $18 on it. But then, if I want to listen to, like, Kate Bush, I don’t have to go looking for the CD in my messy car. That’s really awesome. Also, Shazaam is truly one of my favorite apps, because that was something where we were always like, “What is this song?” And there was never a way to find out what that obscure track that was playing at some restaurant was, and now you can find it a couple seconds later.
ER It’s fascinating to watch technology change. Speaking of: In the aftermath of the Grammys “Step Up” controversy, what do you think men in the music industry can do to be better allies to women musicians and women working in the business?
DH I think one of the biggest things that I see whenever I go into a professional studio is not many women in engineering roles. From what I hear from my male friends, they start as a runner in a studio and work their way up. I just feel like no one’s hiring women to get their foot in the door on that simple level.
I can’t believe people feel this way, but I feel like a lot of people at venues don’t take women who play music seriously. At least, that’s what we experienced the first seven years we played. Being in L.A., they didn’t understand the concept of a “girl band,” which is crazy because women have been writing music, rock music, since the ‘50s. When we were opening for all-male bands, the attitude was different. People would be like, “What do you mean the monitor guy rolled his eyes? No way!” And it’s like, “Yeah, he did. He was giving me attitude. The whole night. And he showed up late.” I feel like now people realize that’s fucked up.
EH It’s just nice that the conversation is happening now. For the longest time, it wasn’t happening.
AH It feels like people are starting to hear us.
Makeup Melissa Murdick (Opus Beauty) using Make Up For Ever
Hair Iggy Rosales (Opus Beauty) using Kevin Murphy
Photo Assistants Carl Duquette and Alexandre Jaras
Stylist Assistants Kindall Almond, Shari Bisnaught, Olivia Typaldos
Location and Equipment Smashbox Studio
Catering City Kitchen
