How better to experience Coachella, than with your sisters in tow. Playing as Rockinhaim with their parents since Alana was old enough to sing the alphabet – and could coordinate a chord change – HAIM are the ultimate example of good parenting and sisterly love! Catch them this weekend at the Palm Springs Polo Club!
Este, describe Alana and Danielle in five words…
Este: Alana… this girl likes to party and Danielle… give me your leather jacket.
Alana, describe Este and Danielle in five words…
Alana: Este is crazy, unpredictable, smart, funny and loving! Danielle is….
Este: She’s like a secret!
Danielle, describe Este and Alana in five words…
Danielle: Alana… baby needs her baba now.
Alana: A baba’s like a baby bottle.
Danielle: Este is caring, crazy, sassy, bass face.
Who did you each listen to growing up?
Alana: My parents had really crazy taste in music. We always listened to the Spanish radio before we went to school and my mum was like a folk goddess. When myself and Danielle started going to upper school we were in the best era of music, it was the late 90s when pop made this amazing revival – we had TLC, Mariah Carey, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, Spicegirls, everyone!
So you all had the same tastes?
Alana: Este went through a stage where she listened to new metal like Korn, Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit…
Este: Orgy, Puddle of Mudd…
Alana: Like really intense nu metal, but that was just her rebellious stage.
Este: I thought I was really cool. I had 7 Korn posters in my room and a Freak on a Leash poster that was signed by Jonathan Davis.
If you’re fighting over what song to put on, who would win and what would you play?
Este: I always like playing Prince or Erotic City.
What’s the secret to good working dynamics with your siblings?
Este: Always eat something because no one is happy when they’re hungry. And don’t push your sisters buttons, because you know as a sibling what is going to upset one of your sisters; don’t fucking do it.
What makes you all laugh?
Este: We make each other laugh. I think when Danielle makes a joke, she rarely makes jokes, but when she does they’re really good and that always makes us laugh.
What do you argue about?
Este: Who gets to borrow Danielle’s clothes.
Alana, what did your parents think of you dropping out of uni to join your sisters in the band?
Alana: I only went because my parents wanted me to. Actually going to uni for a year was my favourite, I got to take classes I really wanted to. I actually took a class called Human Sexuality.
What did that entail?
Alana: It was just the study of the human body, like human sexuality as a whole, it wasn’t like sex class!
W was it like being in a band with your whole family?
Alana: Rockinhaim was amazing. We started when I was four or five, just for fun. Rockinhaim was always like an activity to keep the family together. It was like our thing instead of going camping or going on a vacation – we played music together. We learned how to play classic songs and what chord changes go together and how to write music. It was like a way of life. Our parents are mean fucking musicians.
What did your parents say when you broke away to make HAIM?
Alana: They loved it. They always wanted us to have a band together, my mum and dad always say really clear, you’re family will always be with you, they’ll always have your back, blood is thicker than mud.
Do you all have the same group of friends?
Alana: Yeah, and weirdly all of our friends are siblings. We have a huge group of friends that are sisters. Not that we discriminate against only children!
How protective are you over each other?
Alana: We’re all pretty protective over each other, if anyone ever tries to fuck with my sisters I like black out and go crazy, I’m not scared to yell at anyone. I have no shame, you cannot fuck with my family!
I read that Este’s friends hit on you and Danielle…
Alana: It happened in highschool, it was kind of hilarious.
Este: It was weird for me!
Where do you all see yourselves in five years?
Alana: Honestly, we just want to keep playing to as many people as we can, we always set out as a band, all we wanted to do was just tour and get out of LA and now we have the opportunity – it’s mind blowing.
Credits
Text Felicity Kinsella
Photography Laura Coulson