By this time, Hayes was proficient at piano and found that the music used to counter the boredom of living in a small village.

Shortly after this she parted ways with Source Records as its parent company EMI-Virgin decided to overhaul its line-up of artists and bands.

[8] On 14 August 2006 Hayes announced[9] she had begun work on her third album in the Black Box Studios in France and produced by her former guitarist, David Odlum.

During her 2008 'The Hollow of Morning' tour in the UK, Hayes announced she was considering recording an acoustic album for release by year's end.

During promotional work in Ireland during summer 2008, Hayes confirmed she would start recording her fourth album in August.

[11] To support the album she put together a touring band featuring Joe Chester on guitar, Binzer Brennan on drums and Karl Odlum on bass.

This lineup would go on to tour extensively in Ireland, the UK as well as some dates opening for My Bloody Valentine in the United States, including at All Tomorrow's Parties in upstate New York.

It was confirmed in January 2009 Hayes was nominated for Best Irish Female, at the 2009 Meteor Ireland Music Awards, which took place on 17 March 2009 in Dublin.

On the Ceol '10 album, Hayes' song "Rith me go Crich" appeared alongside Bell X1, Kila and The Walls.

On 13 February 2011, Hayes confirmed on RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Pat Kenny her fourth studio album would be released by May 2011 and this coincided with a tour across Ireland.

During promotion of 'Let It Break', Hayes confirmed she had written two songs for Michael Uppendahl (director of US TV series Mad Men, Weeds, and Becker) for a forthcoming film directed by him.

[26] On 16 February 2012, Hayes revealed in an interview with Evening Echo's 'Downtown', she recorded a cover version of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" for US Teen drama Pretty Little Liars, the song featured throughout her 2012 tour playlist.

[29] In June 2012, Hayes announced she began work on writing new tracks[30] and she planned to move to Los Angeles.

[35] In September 2012, she featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book.

[37] On 21 November 2012, Hayes confirmed she would record her upcoming gig in Dublin's Olympia on 9 December to release it as a live album in early 2013.

[38][39] On 22 April 2013 Hayes confirmed through an email to fans she hoped to release a special limited vinyl featuring live performances gathered at some of her tour dates.

[44] In August 2013, Hayes launched her Pledge Music campaign which offered fans the opportunity to support and assist the production of her fifth studio album.

On 10 April 2014, Hayes revealed through her Facebook page three titles of new songs to feature on the album due in the summer.

Hayes is expected to tour the rest of Europe in the fall following the release of her new album due late summer 2014.

[52] On 29 July 2014 Hayes' manager Simon Long confirmed a photoshoot took place to promote the forthcoming album release.

[53] On 1 August 2014 Hayes confirmed through her Pledge Music[54][55] page her fifth studio album is titled Bones + Longing.

On 23 August 2014, Hayes performed alongside Paul Noonan as part of Printer Clips on RTÉ's Saturday Night with Miriam.

[60] In March 2015 she was briefly reunited with Joe Chester for some filmed promotional appearances in France and Ireland, including RTE's The Works, TG4's Imeall and appearances on RTL 2 and Le Bruit des Graviers in Paris, playing versions of Shock to my System, Wicked Game, Out of our Hands and To Be Your Honey.

In late 2015, Hayes confirmed she began writing some new tracks and hoped to release some new material in the coming months.

In 2016, Hayes appeared as part of Starboard Home; a compilation featuring tracks by Irish artists for the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.

[65] Originally slated for an autumn 2021 release, the album's launch was postponed until late 2024 due to ongoing recording and COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland.

The recording sessions took place between 2021 and late 2023 between West Cork and Dublin, with David Odlum serving as the producer.

[69] On 2 July 2024, the release date for Hayes's sixth studio album, Blind Faith, was confirmed for 27 September 2024.