Who Are the Haim Sisters? Inside the Lives of Taylor Swift's Best Friends

For the Haim sisters, "It's Nice To Have a Friend," especially when that friend is Taylor Swift.

Este, Danielle and Alana Haim's friendship with Taylor is believed to have begun after the "I Knew It, I Knew You" songstress and Harry Styles broke up in 2013. The siblings then became staples at Swift's Fourth of July celebrations starting in 2014.

Amid their nearly decade-long friendship, here's everything to know about the Haim sisters and their connection with Taylor.

Este was born on March 14, 1986, while Danielle and Alana were born on February 16, 1989, and December 15, 1991, respectively. Their parents, Mordechai "Moti" and Donna Haim, taught them instruments and took them to piano lessons while growing up in Los Angeles, Calif.

"Our father was the original Simon Cowell. It felt like they were waiting for us to s---- up in rehearsal," Este told a news outlet in 2012.

The eldest of the trio also revealed Variety they grew up "along Laurel Canyon on the Valley side, north of Ventura, in a city called Valley Village."

"And we were, what, three or four exits away from Hollywood? But it still felt really far away," she continued in the 2020 interview. "When I got my license, and got a car with a sunroof and a f–----up CD player with my bat mitzvah and chore money, I would get Danielle and Alana and drive over Laurel Canyon to get to the Roxy and Troubadour. And in our new song 'Los Angeles,' we talk about going over Laurel and speeding down Crescent Heights."

Ahead of the release of their third full-length album, Women in Music Pt. III, the Haim sisters discussed their Jewish upbringing and bat mitzvah experiences.

"When it comes to Judaism, the thing that really kept us together was the family aspect. It was the High Holidays, coming together as a family for an event. A meal," Alana told GQ.

Este and Danielle were initially members of the Valli Girls, the band behind a song on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants soundtrack. Two years after leaving the group in 2005, they officially formed their own band with Alana.

Looking back at their first decade in the music industry, the Haim sisters shared why it took such a long time to complete and release an album as a band.

"We did what a lot of bands in L.A. do, and played around locally," Danielle told BBC, while Alana added, "We played every parking lot, every venue, but no one wanted to sign us."

According to Danielle, they were begging their friends to come by the fourth year, asking them if they could come and pay $10 for the show.

"It honestly wasn't that frustrating," Alana said. "Our dream was just, play music and get out of town, and we always believed it was going to work out. I don't know why, we just did."

They reportedly had a serious talk with their parents, who asked what their plan was if things failed.

"And we all had jobs. Alana was a nanny, I worked in every restaurant in L.A., and then Danielle was off traipsing around the world for Julian Casablancas," Este explained.

And everything turned out successfully.

"In the movie of our lives, the day that Danielle bought Garage Band is the day that Haim started," Alana noted, with Danielle elaborating, "Suddenly, I realized, oh my God, I can put reverb on this guitar or, I can pitch up this handclap so it sounds brighter. Just trial and error, but it was so eye-opening."

As of press time, they have released six extended plays, four studio albums and more than 20 singles.

In 2021, Alana starred in the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed film Licorice Pizza. Her sisters and parents all appeared in the coming-of-age comedy-drama as her family in the film.

"Acting with my sisters, I think the hardest thing was how to keep a straight face," she told ELLE. "Especially during that [Shabbat] scene, we could not stop laughing. I think there was a point where Paul was like, 'You guys got to get it together. You have to stop laughing at your dad. This scene will never get done.'"

Alana continued, "Then on top of everything, something completely out of my character, in my life as Alana Haim, was me screaming at my dad. I've never screamed at my dad ever. I think he was just shocked. But it was so funny. I'm so happy that my whole family is in this movie with me, because it makes me laugh. It has not gotten old, seeing that scene."

Este, Danielle and Alana are among Taylor's best friends. Their friendship began after the siblings were asked who the "champagne problems" singer should date next after her split from the former One Direction member.

"T.T Swift, don't date someone else," Alana shared while at the Woodie Awards in 2013. "Come out with us, and we will party, and we will be together as girls and be merry, and we don't need guys. Girl power."

In January 2014, Taylor started following the Haim on Instagram and began publicly hanging out with them, including at her Fourth of July party and after the 2014 American Music Awards.

"We ended up just hanging out one night and we realized," Alana reflected on their friendship in an interview with The Daily Share. "We made each other laugh for seven hours straight. It was just laughs and I was like, 'Oh my god, you are literally one of us.'"

Este also shared, "You know when you meet someone and you're just like, 'I'm a puzzle piece, you're a puzzle piece and we fit together'? That's what it felt like."

They have collaborated on and off stage, strengthening their bond over the years.

Most recently, Alana and Este attended the Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs with Taylor. Following the Knicks' historic win, the besties danced along to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" while donning personalized Knicks-themed shirts.