2026-10-12 11:00:09

Instagram has addressed a bizarre bug involving Creed’s 1999 hit Higher.

Users have been left scratching their heads after the platform repeatedly recommended the rock anthem for their Instagram Stories, regardless of what they were actually posting.

Pictures of pets, family barbecues, dinner plates and scenic sunsets have all apparently been deemed worthy of being soundtracked the band’s biggest hit.

The trend has sparked plenty of jokes online, with some users wondering whether there was a secret campaign behind the sudden Creed obsession.

“I can’t prove it but pretty sure Creed is paying META to suggest their song “Higher” on all Instagram Stories,” one person wrote on X in August.

Another posted in September: “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. I feel like I’m uncovering a big conspiracy.”

One user even claimed the algorithm nearly convinced them to add the track to a picture of a Caesar salad.

“That song is always recommended to me too!!,” said an Instagram spokesperson when asked about the apparent obsession with Creed.

Instagram normally recommends music using signals such as songs a user has previously selected and information about the photo or video being posted.

But this time, the platform admitted something had gone wrong.

“We looked into this and found that this song is being recommended to more people than intended,” the spokesperson told CNN.

“We’re continuing to investigate,” they added, saying Instagram’s engineering team was working on a fix.

The glitch was apparently widespread enough to make users wonder whether Creed had somehow returned to the cultural mainstream.

Pamela Ross, a communications specialist, said: “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.

“I’m not following Creed, I’m not listening to Creed. Like what millennial was in charge of this decision?”

And Creed isn’t the only unexpected musical suggestion.

Users have also noticed Soulja Boy’s “Turn My Swag On” appearing frequently, but Instagram insists that one is not a bug.

The spokesperson said: “The Soulja Boy song being recommended is not a bug, and it is actually popular on IG!”

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