The crucial advice The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas gave to Haim
Every new band needs a stroke of luck when starting out, and talent alone is very rarely enough to ensure a level of success to sustain a career. For the girls in Haim, meeting The Strokes singer Julian Casablancas was a crucial moment on their journey, and at the moment, the frontman gave the sisters invaluable advice.
The middle Haim sister, Danielle, established the band’s relationship with The Strokes frontman after becoming his touring guitarist in 2009. Before working with Casablancas, Haim had toured alongside Jenny Lewis, which caught the attention of Julian after he attended one of the shows and personally asked Danielle to join him on the road.
After finishing her run with Lewis, Danielle had a two-day break before starting rehearsals with Casablancas. Haim had already been making music and playing shows in Los Angeles for several years. However, the group still hadn’t released any songs.
Touring with Casablancas for an album cycle was a learning curve for Danielle, and it also made her older sister Este reevaluate her life. Speaking to The Guardian, the eldest Haim sister recalled finding out the news: “I dropped the phone. I was like: ‘Fuuuck this. My sister’s going on tour with Julian Casablancas? Why am I here studying?’ That really lit a fire up my ass, to make Haim happen.”
During the shows with Casablancas, Danielle had to pull double duty as he picked Haim as the support act. The run of dates not only propelled them forward as a band, but The Strokes singer also handed them a piece of advice that proved crucial for Haim: “Julian told us: disappear, come back in a year with stronger songs and hit the ground running,” they explained.
Following the tour, Danielle turned down a lucrative contract offer to hit the road with Ceelo Green and instead shifted her priorities to Haim. The three sisters worked hard on improving their craft before the group launched their debut EP, Forever, in 2012. A decade on from their tour with Casablancas, the Haim sisters reflected fondly on the run with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe.
While Danielle enjoyed the experience of being a session musician, it also made her realise that she would prefer to share the stage with her beloved sisters. After two years of working with other artists, Danielle redirected her focus to Haim and never looked back. Danielle said: “We literally (just) had our was it our ten-year anniversary. When I was on the road with Julian Casablancas, he had invited HIAM to open up for him in 2010. And our mom sent us all a group text, like happy anniversary.”
She continued: “Ten years ago was the first time we left LA. Before then, for a couple of years, we were just playing every venue in LA, at six o’clock to three people. But I think because I was in Julian’s band, he heard that I had a band, and he was like, ‘Do you guys just want to open?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ And so that was the first time we (toured). I was with Julian, but they took a van and followed our bus, and I got to sleep on the bus.”
In 2010, when Haim supported Casablancas, The Strokes frontman knew they weren’t yet ready. However, he believed it would all change if they dedicated themselves to songwriting, and Haim duly followed his advice before taking over the world.
