About
About Hilde Hallewaert
I'm more observer than performer, but Hidden Haley insists on sharing her voice—and seeking yours.
Born: Yes, Belgium, 1963
Education: Assistant in Psychology (Bachelor), 1980-1983
Professional life: Various short jobs in PMS-centra (now known as CLB in Belgium), school-orientation
About Hidden Haley
After six decades as a quiet observer, raising a family and caring full-time for her elderly father for five years, Hidden Haley finally found her voice. In one intense burst, she wrote a complete 40-song saga: a one-single plus four-album journey that turns life into art.
It began with an unexpected stillness. A move to a new home created empty space; a broken shoulder enforced it. Watching the world through a single window cracked open a lifetime of unspoken creativity. Then the flood followed.
The saga is a deeply personal and universally relatable map of the soul's journey: from the teasing Ouverture: "The Key" and the protected innocence of "Soulful Shell," through the difficult questions of "Unraveled Veils," into the raw, emotional fire of "Limbic Pulse," and finally to the joyful freedom of the "Flight of Hearts" EP.
Hidden Haley's process is that of a modern Poet-Sculptor. Each song is a trip to a new reality—a complete sensory experience meant to engage multiple senses at once. As a true 21st-century artist, she acts as her own creative director, sculpting soundscapes from her own poetic words while guiding generative tools to build the sonic blueprints for her world. Her work is a testament that it's never too late to find your voice—a celebration of the “empty nest” not as a loss, but as the moment a soul finally has the space to sing. This is the sound of a lifetime, finally shared.
At a glance
- 40-song saga: 1 single + 4 albums
- Start here: Ouverture: The Key
- Then explore:
- I. Soulful Shell — 13 songs
- II. Unraveled Veils — 12 songs
- III. Limbic Pulse — 9 songs
- IV. Flight of Hearts (EP) — 5 songs
- Tip: On the home page, every thumbnail image opens the lyrics.
About Haley's Journey
This site has a collection of pages dedicated to the story behind the single and each of the four albums that make up Haley's Journey, as well as a page for each of the 40 songs. Here, a short teaser will do.
The saga is a meticulously mapped journey of the self, with each album marking a stage of transformation:
• Ouverture: The Key — Hidden Haley's origin story.
• I. Soulful Shell — The sound of the world through a seashell.
• II. Unraveled Veils — The rustle through the cracks of the shell.
• III. Limbic Pulse — The rustle turns into a hustle.
• IV. Flight of Hearts EP — The shell, now a playful instrument.
Ready to dive in? Start with Ouverture: The Key, or browse all lyrics.
About This Site
This site exists to connect Hidden Haley with fellow artists—composers, producers, and musicians—and spark real collaboration. Hidden Haley's hope and dream is to meet like-minded creatives and explore new possibilities together.
My current flow is simple: Lyrics (complete) → Generative musical moodboards (complete) → Find musicians → Collaborate → Release music together.
Interested in joining? See the Collaboration page or Contact us.
Did you know? On the home page, every thumbnail image links directly to the lyrics for its song or album. Hover or focus to see the title, then tap or click to open the lyrics.
The Feel of the Music
A key that unlocked everything. Snowflakes scattering sun. A beehive of noise, buzzing in the head. A shelter dog finally seen. Two heartbeats daring a double jump into one rhythm.
These are not just songs—they're touch, texture, temperature: trip hop haze, chamber warmth, punk teeth, and sky-wide breath. Each track is a sensory room: step in, feel the air change, let the rhythm rearrange your heartbeat.
About Generative AI Tools
Human lyrics. The lyrics on this site are 100% free of AI involvement—by choice—so you can hear Hidden Haley's own voice.
How the music is shaped. To shape these feelings into sound, Hidden Haley uses generative tools for musical moodboards—reference atmospheres that human musicians could build upon, if they wanted. The music in these demos emerged from months of intensive work: writing detailed style descriptions for each song, coaching generative tools to express and elevate the intended emotion, and then hand-editing—removing unwanted passages, extending sections, and refining structure, all the while carefully avoiding similarities with existing art.
The bigger conversation. Generative AI now offers artists new ways to enhance their process. Credit where it's due: the Hidden Haley project might have withered without the sonic spark that helped bring the lyrics to life. At the same time, there are legitimate concerns—IP, authorship, originality, and the risk of displacing human artists. Hidden Haley is mindful of ongoing lawsuits against certain AI companies, including actions from major labels and a class action by independent artists. You can learn more about these issues via the Top Music Attorney YouTube channel.
Values and boundaries. It's especially troubling when large streaming platforms use human “bot-prompting” labor to churn out cheap “good-enough” music, diverting attention from human creators. It is different when independent artists use these tools to enhance their own creativity and reach audiences they otherwise couldn't. In that sense, generative AI can be democratizing—akin to how portable cameras opened doors for visual artists. For a refreshing look on the topic of "automatic art", check out this book: Intelligence. It's automatic! - From surrealism to Artificial Intelligence 1925-2025.
A likely future. Hidden Haley doesn't expect these tools to vanish and broadly aligns with the perspective described in this video: Everyone is WRONG about AI Music. Quick summary of the video: People crave authenticity. The video predicts a split: platforms serve high-quality, tailored AI background music, while real artists thrive via direct, fan-supported models making edgy, experimental, uncompromising work. Open questions remain though: Can fans find those artists? Can they afford to support them? Will platforms allow that reach?
How Hidden Haley uses AI today. Generative tools are used to create musical moodboards—reference soundscapes that convey atmosphere and emotion—so professional composers and musicians can quickly grasp the intent behind each lyric and collaborate from a shared starting point.
Rights and respect for artists. While the team continues to evaluate self-releasing AI-assisted music, Hidden Haley has adopted a rights model that keeps ownership of her lyrics but relinquishes rights and royalties to the music portion, gifting them to the first musician who commercially releases a song using her lyrics.
Want to collaborate?
Composers, producers and musicians: explore Collaboration or Contact to start a conversation.