Peg Luke Reimagines the Hymnbook with an Irish Twist

It’s not often a hymn gives you the urge to dance barefoot through a dewy meadow, but Peg Luke has never been interested in doing what’s expected. Her latest single, “My Faith Looks Up”, is a holy rebellion wrapped in Celtic lace—a radiant, gutsy reminder that sacred music doesn’t have to be sterile or subdued.

The track opens with her ever-present flute—soft, gliding, almost ghostlike—before giving way to the bold cry of bagpipes. Then comes the heartbeat: a bodhrán pulse that gives this ancient prayer a pulse, a groove, even a shimmer of rebellion. You can feel Luke dancing with tradition, not just honoring it.

This is more than sonic stylization. It’s a deeply personal piece for the Emmy and Grammy-nominated artist, who’s been battling an autoimmune illness since the world shut down in 2020. She’s lived in physical isolation, but “My Faith Looks Up” sounds like connection incarnate—a bridge between yesterday’s hymns and today’s hunger for authenticity.

Peg builds her own spiritual language from breathy woodwinds and ancient lyrics, rewriting the hymnbook in her own voice. Her choice to rearrange the original verses? Inspired. Her use of Irish green as the song’s visual identity? Perfect. Her dream movie scene for the track—someone lying in despair, only to rise again in mysterious healing light—isn’t just poetic. It’s the plotline of her own life.

If this were just another faith-forward single, we’d move on. But Peg Luke crafts moments, not just melodies. And “My Faith Looks Up” is a moment of quiet transcendence in a noisy, often cynical world.

Luke reminds us that not all music meant to heal needs to whisper. Sometimes, it needs to stomp its feet on the Irish earth, shout into the wind, and still leave space for silence at the end.