by Valirie Morgan

Girl power is making a triumphant return with the success of indie pop/rock band Haim, and if you haven’t heard of them yet, you will soon. Their debut album “Days Are Gone” has been steadily climbing the charts since its release last year, and they’ve been selling out gigs all over the world; they’ve even toured with the likes of Florence and the Machine and Rihanna.
Haim is proving that music can be a family affair, too, as the Los Angeles-based band is comprised of three sisters: Este, Danielle and Alana Haim. Their musical prowess has been evident since birth, practically. Early on, their parents rounded up the family into a band called Rockinhaim, playing gigs at charity festivals (a bit like the “Von Trapp Family Singers” from The Sound of Music, perhaps?). In 2006 the girls decided to form their own band and played at local venues for several years until choosing to go on hiatus as they pursued individual projects. After Este graduated from university and Danielle completed a stint touring with The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, all three sisters decided they were ready to take things further, and Haim was reborn.
With a strong background in music, Haim is a much-needed breath of fresh air in the pop music world. The sisters each play their own instruments: Este on bass, Danielle on lead guitar and lead vocals, and Alana on rhythm guitar as well as keyboard and percussion. Their talent is obviously evident, and with laid-back California girl personalities, you definitely won’t hear about Haim becoming the music world’s newest divas. However, they do have one caveat regarding their fame: don’t call them a girl band!

“Growing up, there were a lot of girl artists like the Spice Girls, Aaliyah and Destiny’s Child. But none of them really played instruments and I would always look up to Stevie Nicks and Blondie – they are dope female musicians,” said Alana. “So I just see us as a band. When people call us a girl band, I take it as an insult – being a girl in a band shouldn’t be a thing. It seems so medieval.”
If you look closely, you’ll realize that Haim technically doesn’t even count as a girl band — drummer Dash Hutton adds a touch of masculinity to the group! All three of the Haim sisters can play the drums, but chose to relegate the task of percussion to Hutton because their father, who used to be a drummer in the Israeli army, advised them to stay away from the instrument so they wouldn’t have to “lug all our s–t everywhere,” according to Alana.
Oh, and let’s get one thing straight: their name is pronounced “High-im,” since it’s the Hebrew word meaning “life.” The meaning is fitting, too, since Haim has proved they’re not leaving the spotlight anytime soon. With celebrity fans including Katy Perry and One Direction’s Harry Styles, among others, the band certainly has longevity.
“Days Are Gone” debuted at number one (beating out Justin Timberlake!) in the U.K., and the ladies of Haim have a handful of shows in the U.K. and Europe scheduled for the summer. Check out the video for their latest single, “If I Could Change Your Mind,” right here on Beauty And The Dirt: