Rocking to their own beat: Haim in charge of their career

NEW YORK (AP) — The rock trio Haim remembers filming their first music video for just $200 before they were signed to a record label.

The clip for the song "Forever," released in 2013, features Alana, Danielle and Este Haim riding bikes, playing the guitar in their parents' living room and dancing in a hair salon (while imitating moves by Destiny's Child), infused with videos from their early childhood.

It is carefree, but meticulous, with the Haim sisters at the creative forefront.

Fast forward four years with the release of their sophomore album, and the trio is still in charge, and executing their own vision. They write their music while also playing the drums, electric guitar, bass guitar and percussion; they buy and style their clothes; and they design their own music video treatments and album packaging.

"We've just never known it any other way. We don't do anything unless we are 100 percent invested. Everything you see just comes straight from us, every idea," Danielle, 28, said in a recent interview.

"I think the reason why it has been that way from the jump is (because) no one really can come for us because we are so opinionated," said Alana, the youngest sister at 25. "I think I know what I don't want to do more than what I do want to do."

Danielle said she was signed a teenager to a group along with Este, 31, but is happy they parted ways.

"We didn't write our own songs ... we were so young, like babies, like 13, so after that we quit the band and for the next eight years we just grinded it out in Los Angeles playing every venue for zero people," she recalled. "We worked from the bottom ... (and) we're not going to compromise because that just would be horrible."

Since the release of their 2013 debut, the critical darling "Days Are Gone," Haim has spent most of their time on tour — headlining their own shows and also opening up for close friend Taylor Swift. They also earned a Grammy nomination in 2015 for best new artist.

They said they've always known what kind of artists they want to be.