Danielle Haim

Danielle Sari Haim (born February 16, 1989) is an American musician. She is the lead guitarist and vocalist of the pop rock band Haim, which also consists of her two sisters, Este Haim and Alana Haim. Danielle also serves as the group's drummer in the studio, while they retain a separate drummer for most of their live performances. Danielle Sari Haim was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, California to a Jewish family. Her Israeli-born father Mordechai ("Moti") and her mother Donna were both musical; though he had been a professional soccer player in Israel, Moti also played drums, while Donna won a contest on The Gong Show in the 1970s singing a Bonnie Raitt song. While Danielle showed an aptitude for the guitar at a young age, Moti made the decision that Este would be more suited to the bass, buying her a second hand Fender for $50. Danielle started playing music at an early age, and was encouraged by her parents to pursue the guitar. As a child, she played lead guitar in a band called Rockinhaim which consisted of her parents and her two sisters. The band played mostly classic rock covers. After playing a gig with their parents, Danielle and her older sister Este were asked to join a pop group called the Valli Girls, and signed to Sony Records in 2004. Danielle also received a product endorsement deal from Gibson guitars. While later stating that this group was not a suitable outlet for the kind of music she wanted to be playing, the band did allow Danielle some commercial success. The group made promotional videos, an unreleased album, and their song "Always There in You" was featured on the soundtrack of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2005.