Have you been feeling like Instagram is recommending Creed‘s “Higher” to you in, well, higher amounts than you’d typically expect? You’re not alone.
Meta confirmed to Billboard on Friday (Oct. 9) that the platform was offering the 1999 rock anthem to an inordinate amount of users as a suggested track to pair with posts and Stories. “We looked into this and found that this song is being recommended to more people than intended,” a rep for the company said. “We’re continuing to investigate.”
Billboard has reached out to Creed for comment.
The update comes after more and more people were reporting seeing “Higher” in their song recommendations on the app, despite there being no clear reason for it. It’s prompted some users to wonder whether the rate of the Creed suggestions was accidental or not.
“Posted on instagram about how instagram always tries to make me add Higher by Creed to my stories and it turns out it’s happening to other people,” shared one user on X in late September. “I feel like I’m uncovering a big conspiracy. Theo algorithms want us to love creed.”
“Instagram really wanted me to add higher by creed to the picture of caesar salad I posted…they almost had me this time,” shared another.
But it looks as though even Meta is confused. “That song is always recommended to me too!” a spokesperson told CNN.
As for another highly recommended track? “The Soulja Boy song [‘Turn My Swag On’] being recommended is not a bug, and it is actually popular on IG!” they added.
“Higher” dropped in 1999 as the lead single to Creed’s second album, Human Clay, reaching its No. 7 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 in July the following year.
