Tabi Haly sings, “Hello World, We are here, We are strong, And we are more than what we probably let on” as a representative of the disability community. The 39-year-old singer-songwriter/software engineer, who lives with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, has released a single with a gorgeous-sounding acoustic and lyrically uplifting message to the world. The song launched on all streaming media Friday, December 1 in time for the Sunday, December 3 International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD) on all streaming media.
There are two new versions of Tabi’s song “Hello World.” Her version was recorded at the state of the art, James Dolan Recording Studio at New York University. Other New York City favorites that recorded there include hitmakers Lady Gaga and A Great Big World.
One of Tabi’s favorite lyrics is “dreams are brought to life by diversity.” She writes a lot of disability advocacy songs, but “Hello World” stands out for many reasons, “Life is constantly about introducing yourself to new people, and re-introducing yourself to people you already know in certain ways.” “Hello World” is Tabi’s wish for people to understand disabled people, “don't judge, but do have dialog. This song is an opportunity to be more open than ever before about diversity.”
The “Hello World” music video will be featured on JP Morgan Chase’s YouTube page on December 3, The International Day of Persons with Disabilities. That version of the song was recorded at Smash Studios in Midtown. This shows Tabi leading 6 musicians, who are also JP Morgan Chase employees, in the studio. Tabi says, “This is a Chase employee group version of the song; We’d never met, but everyone practiced beforehand, and showed great teamwork as we created a new version of the song for our company.” Directed by Chase video editor Seth Gomez, the video’s message shows JP Morgan Chase wants to be the employer of choice for people with disabilities.”
“Hello World” is also the name of the first Application program that every software engineer learns. Tabi explains why the name is used, “We learn new technology all the time to keep up with its rapid evolution. Therefore, every time we learn something new, it’s ‘Hello World’!”
Tabi’s a Filipino American, born and raised in Houston, TX. At age 3, her guitarist/pianist father introduced her to music. Since then, she sang to keep her lungs healthy. She moved to New York State area at age 17, and started writing songs. Tabi moved to New York City when she turned 18, and attended Pace University. After graduating Summa Cum Laude, Tabi began work as a coder, later advancing to her job as a software engineer at JP Morgan Chase.
She is a professional recording artist with two studio albums: 2022’s “Stance,” 2019’s "I Wrote Life," 2023’s “High Notes” dance remix EP, and a number of singles—notably “Waiting in the Wings,” which Tabi wrote, recorded and released about disability activist Judy Heumann a few weeks before she passed away in Feb 2023.
Tabi is a member of the Recording Academy.
As a songwriter Tabi uses a mouse and track pad and music software to compose (the disease is progressive, so while she could write in college, she can no longer even put on eyeliner), and she sings into a microphone. Once she is happy with her demo, she presents it to one of the musicians she works with to create the instrumentation. They collaborate on the structure until the song is ready.
Singing isn’t Haly’s only way of dealing with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She sees occupational and physical therapists regularly. She works through daily range-of-motion exercises and employs home health aides who help her 24 hours a day. At night she sleeps with a ventilator. It’s a physical and mental ordeal. But music keeps her going.
