of us had dinner,” he continues. “Bono said he’d heard of Vampire Weekend but had never listened to an album [laughs], then when he asked what else I was doing and I said I was helping Haim on their next record, he’s like, ‘Oh, well, Haim, now that’s a band… they could be the biggest band in the world.’”
T
hat Thing You Do! wasn’t the only thing the Haim sisters obsessively watched on TV as kids – they were also devotees of VH1’s Behind The Music, eagerly soaking up tips on how to make it. In many ways, it’s always seemed like they were preordained to try to become a huge band, and the industry they are returning to feels perfectly set up for them. As the rollout for I Quit has shown, with their Instagram homages to Britney Spears’ Stronger and more, they are a dab hand at a choreographed video (no surprise given they’ve been doing dance routines together pretty much since they could stand). And, since they’ve been away, the landscape has been dominated by their peers, including friends and collaborators such as Taylor Swift and Charli XCX. Indeed, a key moment in Haim’s live comeback is a prime slot at Primavera Sound, where XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan are headlining. “We’re so excited and honoured to play with
all these women and we’re so inspired by all the women on the line-up,” says Danielle. They felt the same when they shared a stage with Swift last year.
“Even when we weren’t opening up for her, we basically followed her tour and just saw as many shows as we could because she’s just incredible,” smiles Danielle. “The love in the crowd is something that I had never experienced before, that many people just being so excited. The way that she performs is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s so inspiring, I don’t know how she does it.”
Yet, given that their last album was a riposte to constantly being asked what it was like for women in the music industry, Haim are understandably done with the discussion. “Listen to our last albuuuuum!” Alana sings, poking fun at the idea of the question ever coming up again.
“First of all, the title of that album came to Danielle in a dream, which I love, but it also just made us laugh,” she continues. “We obviously take our music so seriously, but we don’t take ourselves so seriously. And we were so annoyed by people asking us that question. But now, I think it’s just such an exciting time.” They have studied Charli XCX’s Brat campaign particularly keenly. “She’s been doing this for so long and is such an amazing songwriter and seeing her tour and seeing her on stage [is incredible],” says Alana. “Seeing all of these women on stage is… that’s all we care about, we just all want to play.” “We’ve known Charli since True Romance came out, so it’s amazing to see the world catch up, we’re just so in awe of her,” adds Danielle. “[The campaign] is genius, the world building, all of it. That whole thing was about just fucking having a good time, and I fucking ride for that so hard.”
On I Quit, Haim are once again teaming up with photographer and digital strategist Terrence O’Connor, who worked on Brat. “Haim are a career act with a profound effect on culture and they’re brilliantly equipped for this landscape,” says Ben Mortimer. “They were very early in their use of social media, which remains such a potent driver. Terrence O’Connor’s profile has exploded, and
musicweek.com
London calling: Haim on stage at the Shacklewell Arms, East London in 2012 (top) and winning at the NME Awards in 2014 (bottom)
their partnership is continuing to hilarious effect.” Nodding to his 13-year bond with Haim, Mortimer
says his focus on long careers will continue. “We really stand for and invest in career longevity, Polydor acts like Haim, Lana Del Rey, Florence + The Machine, Michael Kiwanuka and Sam Fender continue to develop and evolve,” he says. “That is something I want to bring to Capitol and 0207 Def Jam, too.”
Haim feel very much at home on the major. “We’re lucky, Ben was our A&R, he signed us and has always been such a huge supporter of us and really has fought for us,” says Danielle. The trio speak in similarly glowing terms about the UK, still elated to have followed in the footsteps of The Strokes in being a US band catapulted to success by being signed in the UK. “It’s an honour and a privilege to have the love of the UK,” says Este, before Danielle cuts in. “We’re obsessed with all British music and rock’n’roll… seeing Kate Moss with Pete Doherty, there was such a moment in the early 2000s where it just felt like the UK was the only place to be,” she says. “Every time we go over to you guys, the shows are electric, there’s just nothing like it in the States... Sorry!”
By now, Haim are well placed to offer counsel on industry survival, and they’re unequivocal about their top tip. “The only advice is to find the people that really believe in you, because it’s really hard,” says Alana. “And once you find those people, hold on to them for dear life, because it gets really confusing. We’re lucky that finally we’ve found our people that believe in us more than anyone ever has in the past. It’s amazing how your emotions change when someone actually says,
‘You’re doing great,’ as opposed to the opposite.” But the biggest thing at Haim’s disposal when it comes to navigating the industry is their sisterhood. “We’ve been so lucky to have each other, because it’s not a secret,
“Bono told me Haim could be the biggest band in
BATMANGLIJ
the world” ROSTAM
this industry is tough,” says Alana. “There’s a lot of people that have a lot of strong opinions that try to pipe in when, you know, we don’t need it. There are times when other people’s opinions make you feel like you need to doubt what your vision is and we’re lucky that, at any point in time, one of us is steering the ship.” “Early on, there were things where people could try and make you feel like if you didn’t do a certain thing then your career would suffer,” says Danielle. “But if it’s not truly aligned with our artistry, it’s an absolute no, and we’re three people that can just [say that].” “This industry is not for the weak,” Alana sums up, “and you can’t really trust a lot of people, but you can find your gems.” The question is, now that they have found their gems, what happens next? Are Haim harbouring aspirations of Grammy- winning, stadium- and festival-headlining world domination? “Oh my God!” shouts Alana, “Nooo! I probably should, but I don’t.” Still, Haim leave us with the sense that they’re about to make a big step up, even if, when they eventually do come up with their number one ambition for I Quit, it’s not what you might expect. “Can Danielle get a boyfriend? That would be nice,” says Alana, before cracking up again.
“Honestly, the fact that I still have not got one person in my DMs when I’ve been so outward about wanting a boyfriend…” Danielle adds.
“Yeah, that’s really what this album was about, we just really want Danielle to get a boyfriend,” says Alana, grabbing the final word. “That would be so sick…”
Music Week | 35
PHOTOS: Lorne Thomson/Redferns, David M. Benett, Getty
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