Q&A with Peg Luke: Discover Her Inspiring New Single

Peg Luke ‘s latest single, “God on a Bumpersticker,” captures listeners with its nostalgic 80s twist while exploring profound themes of spirituality and connection. As an artist deeply rooted in her faith, Peg’s songwriting process is a journey of introspection and divine consultation, resulting in compositions that resonate with listeners on a deeper level.

In this interview, we delve into Peg Luke‘s creative process, the inspiration behind her music, and her upcoming single “Breathing in Breathing Out,” which tackles themes of love, justice, and the pursuit of peace in today’s world. Join us as Peg Luke shares her thoughts on the feedback she’s received, her innovative YouTube series “Peg Luke Practices,” and her exciting plans for the future—a journey filled with hope, purpose, and a smorgasbord of musical exploration.

You describe the track “God on a Bumpersticker” as having an ethereal quality with a nostalgic 80s twist. What specific musical elements or artists influenced this unique sound

Well, the music comes first. And usually that is influenced by either something I have heard or something I have read or a combination of both. The inspiration truly comes from being quiet with God. Listening to the influence of the invisible but the omnipresent Greater I Am. Not always is it easy for me to listen. Many times I want to be in the driver’s seat. No pun intended. When I start writing a tune sometimes it’s not always what I hear in my head. I start at the piano to compose. In the case of “God on a Bumpersticker”, it was really the lyrics that dictated the tune. I composed the music around the lyrics. Then once I had the music composed, I actually performed it. And the more that I sang and played it, the more the piece took shape. From there the sound started to pronounce itself. I don’t try to fashion myself after anyone because God is talking. I work with something much greater than myself and to comprehend what I want to sound like is sometimes completely unknown to me until it happens. That is what happened in this case. Once the piece was composed I sent it over to my incredible producer in Denver, Steve Avedis.  From there Steve and orchestrator and the final mix guru Tom Capek embellish what I have already started. They came up with the incredible aura around this tune.  We always start at a certain point and usually morph into what the piece is actually calling for. It’s a magical process.

Can you take us through your songwriting process for this single?

I believe I touched on this already but like I said earlier, I usually start at the piano. Before that I have a consult meeting with God. Sometimes I don’t even want to compose and here is this tune in my head. And these tunes can become very persistent. And when they become powerful enough I say, “Okay I need to write you down”.  It’s kind of crazy. The chemical and intellectual feelings that I get when I write are otherworldly. I don’t talk about it much because most people wouldn’t understand what I’m talking about. But for creative souls like myself, I think they would totally get it. My music is written for a purpose. I don’t always know what the purpose is until it is done and is out there for the general public to consume. Then, I understand why I compose the tunes I compose.

Since the release of “God on a Bumpersticker,” what kind of feedback have you received from listeners? Have any particular responses stood out to you?

I honestly don’t believe “God on a Bumpersticker” has really reached its peak audience yet. I believe we have just begun on this journey. Feedback that I have gotten so far has been quite extraordinary. Almost unbelievable. I have had responses back from people that have experienced what the song explains (having an NDE-Near Death Experience). I have had other people come back and tell me that their loved ones were calmed and given great peace by my song. I hope we touch thousands more souls that need this message that this song radiates.

I’m excited to hear about your upcoming single, “Breathing in Breathing Out.” What is the central theme of this upcoming single? How does this concept translate into the song’s lyrics and musical composition?

I am so excited to be bringing you my protest love march song “Breathing In Breathing Out”.  I composed it several years ago when I lived in St. Augustine, Florida. The tune came with intent, an intent to pronounce the enormity of an ugly situation. That situation is amplified by the song itself. The song takes place during the middle of a riot, but the meaning of the song is intent on peace, justice, humanity and the greater good. I think the tune being released in October is almost a precursor to the United States election in November. I could go into more detail but I believe the reader will understand what I am saying.

Can you share the personal experiences or reflections that inspired you to write this song? What does “Breathing in Breathing Out” mean to you on a deeper level?

I can’t begin to tell you how important this tune, “Breathing In Breathing Out” is to me. It epitomizes the need for love in our society. Not just the idea or the political correctness of kindness and peace among our neighbors, but the concrete purpose that there is no room for violence or hatred in our world today. I step out of my musical box even more with this incredible tune. It’s not just about me or you, it’s about a greater good, it’s about doing better. We all need to do better. I want to talk to you a little bit more about the scope of the production on “Breathing In Breathing Out”. I didn’t want to produce a “pretty” piece.  I needed to get the listeners attention. I wanted the words to migrate to the soul. We used all kinds of sound effects including the sound effect of singing into a megaphone. I think it works beautifully. Again, my producer Steve Avedis and orchestrator final mix person Tom Capek do an incredible job on this tune.  They bring it to life. My husband also sings along with me in this tune. It’s fantastic!

What motivated you to start “Peg Luke Practices”? What do you hope to achieve by sharing your flute practice routine with your audience?

I do a lot of different things in my daily routine, including exercise, doing meditation, taking time out to rest my soul, composing, doing press and doing household chores. Little known fact about me, I really love to clean the house. But among those things, I most love to play my instruments, practice on my instruments. Sometimes I feel like I get pulled away from doing this. So starting this “Peg Luke Practices” YouTube series makes me accountable to continue to practice flute and piano. I have all this flute music that sits and collects dust on my shelves and I thought why not go through some of your music and pick out some pieces you never played or maybe some pieces you haven’t played for a long time and revisit them. So, I have to record the piano part on my piano and then I pick up my flute and away I go. I love doing this. And frankly I don’t care how many people listen to it or follow along, I know I need to do this. Since I can no longer go out in public and perform because of my rare autoimmune disease that keeps me away from a live audience, I must find different ways to “quench this thirst” that I was born with. I can no longer prepare Carnegie Hall concerts like I did in the past. So for me, this is therapy in the best sense of the word.

What criteria do you use to choose the specific pieces you’ll be breaking down for your audience? Can you share any particular pieces you’re excited to explore?

You make it sound very scientific! I wish it were that way. I wish I was more organized in my thinking. But you see, I am a creative at heart and somewhat scatterbrained. I think God is my greatest help in working with how I present music to the general public. I am preparing to record one of my dearest little pieces for Christmas, “My Silent Night” that is so simple, but is so beautiful. The base of the tune is that well beloved “Silent Night” that we all love to sing on Christmas Eve. That should be released before Christmas 2024. After that I look into the new year of 2025, with a piece that I wrote really to add to my Sync Library that I am starting to add to quickly. I am truly excited to be working with music supervisors to perhaps get my music into film, TV and media outlets worldwide. I’ll let you know if that happens.

This tune I wrote is called “Halo”and I absolutely love it. I hope the listeners will love it as well. I will hopefully be recording many tunes that have been sitting in my composition books waiting to be recognized. I have a complete year ready to record. Plus the fact, I just started composing a new tune yesterday! I also have my J.S. Bach project started and waiting to be added onto. I must admit, I am certainly very busy on the music front.

As you continue to create and share your music, what direction do you see your future projects taking?

I believe my music is going to be somewhat of a “smorgasbord”. It’s extremely exciting and refreshing and invigorating. It kind of sounds like I’m in a spa-like state. I certainly see an extension of more musical ideas and concepts being added to my already extensive view of life and the arts. I feel completely blessed and grateful that I can bring all this music to you. We’re not done yet! Be watching…