Programme
- An Instagram spokesperson told CNN the song is "being recommended to more people than intended."
- Creed's "Higher" was released in 1999 on Human Clay and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2000.
- Creed reunited in 2023 and tours through 2024 to the present, with final 2026 shows Dec. 11-12 in Las Vegas and Dec. 14 in Highland, CA.
- Instagram said Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On" recommendations are not a bug.
Instagram has confirmed it was recommending Creed's "Higher" to more users than intended. An Instagram spokesperson told CNN the company "looked into this and found that this song is being recommended to more people than intended."
The admission settles days of confusion. Multiple users reported that the platform kept suggesting they add the 1999 single to their stories and posts, regardless of what they were sharing.
Why did users find it so strange?
Instagram recommends songs automatically when users add music to stories or posts. The algorithm draws on several signals:
- the content of the post itself
- a song's popularity on the platform
- songs the user has used before
- algorithmic recommendations tied to the account
That machinery is why users who had never shown any interest in Creed were baffled. Communications specialist Pamela Ross told CNN: "Anytime I posted anything on my Instagram story, like a dinner plate or my cat or whatever — every time it recommended adding 'Higher' by Creed."
Ross added: "I'm not following Creed, I'm not listening to Creed. Like what millennial was in charge of this decision?" A representative for Creed did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone's request for comment.
What about Soulja Boy?
"Higher" is not the only track drawing attention. Soulja Boy Tell 'Em's "Turn My Swag On" is also being recommended more than usual on the platform. Instagram says that one is working as designed.
"The Soulja Boy song being recommended is not a bug, and it is actually popular on IG!" the spokesperson said.
So the Creed over-recommendation was a glitch; the Soulja Boy bump, according to Instagram, is organic popularity.
How big is Creed right now?
"Higher" was released in 1999 on Creed's sophomore album, Human Clay. It peaked at Number Seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 2000.
The band's history since has been cyclical. Creed broke up in 2004, reunited for 2009's Full Circle — their most recent album — disbanded again in 2012, and rejoined in 2023 for headlining tours that have run from 2024 to the present.
Creed closes out 2026 with three December shows: Dec. 11 and 12 at the Fontainebleu in Las Vegas, and a final performance on Dec. 14 at the Yaamava' Theater in Highland, California.
The episode is a rare public acknowledgment from Meta that its music-recommendation algorithm misfired — and a reminder of how little visibility users have into why a platform wants them to soundtrack their dinner plate with post-grunge.
Original: cnn.com
