It all began with a guitar from Denmark brought to Hulda by a ship's captain when she was twelve years old. Her older sister Bryndís took lessons on the instrument, but Hulda also took it up to support her singing, which had begun at three years old at the adamant request of the people of Eskifjörður, Iceland. In Commercial College (Verslunarskóli) in Reykjavík, Iceland, Hulda and her friend Teddý began singing professionally. Hulda played the guitar as they sang in local clubs, travelled the country by plane and car, and performed in the choir of the National Theater of Iceland and various other shows. She also sang with Sigurður Ólafsson on single play records, including the very popular songs Halló, and Á Sprengisandi. As a side job, she was secretary to the first President of Iceland, Sveinn Björnsson, until his passing. In 1962, Hulda and her family moved to Texas, where she sang in the chorus of various opera companies, including the Houston Grand Opera. After divorcing in 1965, she picked up her professional singing career again by singing in various exclusive night clubs of Houston, including the cocktail hour of the Summit Club on top of the Houston Bank and Trust building. This is how she recorded her first full album, Hulda at the Summit, and supported her children through singing.