Haim recall being told they’d “never get a record deal”
Haim have spoken out about how “no one wanted to sign them” when they started out.
The band formed in 2007 and at the time were often told that they wouldn’t “make it”.
Speaking in a new interview with Elle UK, Alana said: “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. 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 added: “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.”
Their latest comments come after they previously spoke about sexism in the music industry.
“We still have to fight this shit,” Alana previously told NME. “The other day, I was told at a radio station, ‘You don’t need headphones. I’m sure you don’t want to mess up your hair.’”
“I feel like the one thing that’s happening is we’re all banding together and not letting that shit get us down. Like fuck that shit! I’m fucking over it! Like, no one is going to make me feel anything other than a powerful woman because I love playing music and I love being onstage and if these fucks want to do that shit, the only way that will change is if we don’t stop.”
They also famously hit out at sexism during a speech at the NME Awards in 2018.
Este said at the time: “Anyone that identifies as a girl. Whenever you walk into a guitar shop or a soundcheck or a recording studio, do not let anyone that’s there intimidate you, or make you feel like you don’t belong there, because you do belong there. Thank you.”
Meanwhile, Haim feature on the soundtrack for the upcoming Barbie movie, alongside Lizzo, Charli XCX, Tame Impala and more.
It is set for release on July 21 – the same day as the film arrives in cinemas worldwide.
The trio also recently appeared in a new episode of Sesame Street to sing through all the letters of the alphabet.
The post Haim recall being told they’d “never get a record deal” appeared first on NME.
Damian Jones
NME
