Haim on fighting industry sexism: “We’re like a wolf pack”
Californian sister group Haim have spoken out about the misogyny they have overcame within the industry to reach their headline rock act status. They explained that they were frequently told, “You’ll never get a record deal.”
The band formed in 2007 and have since gone on to become one of the leading alternative acts. All three of their albums to date have charted in the UK’s top two positions and they have headlined various festivals, however, when the sisters were starting out, they were told that “no one wanted to sign them.”
Speaking to Elle UK, Alana Haim explained: “The amount of people who were like, ‘You’re never going to make it. Give up!’ We’ve done so many things in our career, despite what people in the industry have said.”
This defiance no forms a key tenet of the band’s upbeat output. As Alana explained: “Being told you’ll never sell out a venue, then you do. You’ll never headline a festival, and then we do. It fuels the fire.”
Danielle Haim furthered this narrative adding: “People would say to us, ‘You’ll never get a record deal’. A girl rock band, unfortunately, is not something you see.’ People used to say that shit all the time. But we had such a crazy focus, plus we’re sisters – we’re like a wolf pack.”
This is all the more pertinent as sexism in the industry has recently been highlighted by protests against Glastonbury’s all-male headliners and various other incidents that Haim themselves have faced. “I love playing music and I love being onstage,” Alana has previously commented, “and if these fucks want to do that shit, the only way that will change is if we don’t stop.”
Este also commented that they are pleased to have allies like Taylor Swift in this fight. “She never complains. She’s the most incredible performer, and so inspiring as a friend.’ ‘She loves what she does,” adds Este. “We’d play a show and she would just want to hang out after.”
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