Peg Luke is not a name you forget—especially if you’ve felt the echo of her flute swirl through the vaults of Carnegie Hall or lift like smoke in London’s Cadogan Hall. She’s an Emmy and Grammy-nominated artist who doesn’t just perform music; she seems to breathe it from the soul outward. And in her latest single, “My Faith Looks Up,” she doesn’t just reinterpret a beloved 19th-century hymn—she transforms it into something glowing, grounded, and gloriously Irish.
This isn’t your average hymn revival. Peg Luke approaches “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” with reverence, yes, but also with courage. She unbuttons its collar, loosens its tightly-wound solemnity, and lets it dance. Literally. Infused with the lilt of an Irish reel and anchored by traditional instrumentation—think Uilleann pipes, bodhrán, harp—Luke brings a centuries-old hymn into the realm of folk ritual and spiritual celebration.
“I learnt that I can actually compose something that has a dance feel and an Irish reel feel and pair it with ancient hymn lyrics,” Luke says. “Somehow, the past and the present seem to merge beautifully.” And she’s right—they do. There’s no gimmick here, no clashing of styles. The blend is intuitive. The soul of the hymn remains intact, but now it walks barefoot through mossy green woods, like Luke’s imagined muse: carefree, barefoot, radiant.
Listening to “My Faith Looks Up” feels a bit like wandering into a countryside chapel that’s been swallowed by the earth and made part of the landscape—natural, airy, alive. The composition is cinematic in scope, yet deeply personal. You don’t need to be religious to feel the lift in this track. There’s something universal in the way Luke crafts her music—she’s reaching toward grace with both hands and asking us to reach with her.
There’s also a genuine thrill in the production choices. The Uilleann pipes—an instrument she discovered through Irish rock—aren’t just atmospheric; they’re almost spiritual characters in the narrative, rising like morning fog around her voice and flute. The bodhrán keeps the heart beating underneath, steady and pulsing, while the harp adds a soft shimmer that lets the lyrics breathe.
In an age where spiritual music often leans toward either glossy Christian pop or stripped-down acoustic confessionals, Luke offers something different—organic, mystical, and oddly jubilant. When she says, “Put on your dancing shoes,” she means it. And not just in the literal sense. This is resurrection music. This is fall-to-your-knees-and-get-back-up-again music.
If there’s a movie scene to match this track, as she imagines, it’s the moment of divine surprise—the kind of moment where light splits the sky and something inside you unclenches for the first time in years. That feeling of weightlessness, of mystery, of healing—this is what Peg Luke is chasing. And, impressively, what she captures.
For fans of Celtic fusion, faith-driven music, or just strong-willed artistry that isn’t afraid to merge tradition with innovation, “My Faith Looks Up” is worth your attention. It’s sacred music made with a rebel’s heart—gentle, fearless, and utterly Peg Luke.