Este Haim

Este grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California^[4] and studied at LA County's High School For The Arts.^[5] Her family is Jewish. ^[6] Este's father, Mordechai "Moti" Haim, is an Israeli-born retired professional soccer player who moved to the United States in 1980.^[7] Her mother, Donna Rose, is a former elementary school art teacher from Philadelphia.^[8] Este's paternal grandmother was originally from Bulgaria.^[9]

The Haim sisters were taught to play instruments from an early age by their parents, with Este being encouraged to learn bass guitar by her father.^[10][11] She has described being influenced by bassist Tina Weymouth after her father showed her the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense.^[12] Donna, Moti, and their children formed a family band, performing covers for charity gigs and at children's hospitals.^[13]

Este graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in ethnomusicology.^[11]

Este formed the band Haim with her sisters Danielle and Alana in 2006. They played their first show in 2007 and released their debut extended play (EP) Falling as a free download on their website after meeting producer Ludwig Göransson.^[14][15] Their debut album Days Are Gone was released in 2013, followed by their sophomore album Something to Tell You in 2017.^[16][17] Haim's third album Women in Music Pt. III was issued in June 2020, after the band postponed its release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[18]

In 2021, Este composed the score for the Netflix limited series Maid. She became involved in the project through a friend who was executive producing the show.^[19][20] Este collaborated with Christopher Stracey, a member of the electronic duo Bag Raiders. While Christopher produced and played synth-based sounds, Este played most of the instruments.^[21] While working on the music for Maid, Este and Christopher were approached to score the film Cha Cha Real Smooth.^[19]

Este wrote original music for the Netflix teen movie Do Revenge. She collaborated with composer Amanda Yamate.^[22] Este served as music consultant for season 2 of the HBO series The White Lotus after being invited to the set by her friend Dave Bernad.^[23] Bernad executive produced the series and asked Este to work on the show after observing her interactions with actress Beatrice Grannò.^[23] In 2021, Este hosted the pop culture and music podcast That Thing I Do with actor Darren Criss.^[24] In 2022, Este appeared in the film Licorice Pizza, which also featured her sisters and parents.^[25]

In 2023, Este worked for the first time as an executive music producer on the National Geographic limited series A Small Light.^[26] Composer Ariel Marx wrote an original score for the series, with Este producing an accompanying soundtrack of cover versions of songs from the 1930s and 1940s.^[27] Contributors to the soundtrack included Danielle Haim, Angel Olsen, Remi Wolf and Weyes Blood.^[3] She and Zachary Dawes provided the original musical score for George Jacques' sophomoric film, Sunny Dancer.^[28]

Este was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age fourteen, during her first year of high school.^[29][30] In interviews, she has discussed the challenges of managing diabetes as a touring musician.^[30] When the band first performed at Glastonbury Festival, Este fainted after taking insulin when she had not had an opportunity to eat.^[31][32] In 2018, Este was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease.^[16] She has since started wearing a continuous glucose monitor, which she credits with transforming how she manages her diabetes.^[33]

In February 2025, her engagement to Chainalysis co-founder and CEO Jonathan Levin was announced.^[34] Haim and Levin got married in Ojai, California on December 31, 2025, New Year's Eve.^[35]

Este is a multi-instrumentalist who plays bass guitar, drums and guitar.^[21] Este's main instrument is a 1975 Fender Precision Bass.^[36] Her first bass was a Fender Jazz Precision, which she purchased herself after saving up her allowance.^[37] Este prefers to play without a pick and rarely uses effects.^[37][15] Bass Magazine described her style as diverse, "which allows her to both play for the song and play for the bass, at all times".^[38]

Este is referenced in the Taylor Swift song "No Body, No Crime", on which she is also a featured artist providing background vocals. The song tells the story of avenging Este's murder.^[39] Swift named the song's character after her because she knew that she would be excited to be included in a murder-mystery track.^[40]