A caesar salad. A cat. A dinner plate. For weeks, Instagram had the same soundtrack in mind for all of them: Creed’s “Higher.” On Thursday (Oct. 8), the company admitted the 1999 rock anthem had been suggested far more widely than it was meant to be.
“We looked into this and found that this song is being recommended to more people than intended,” an Instagram spokesperson told CNN. “We’re continuing to investigate,” she added, saying the engineering team is working on a fix.
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That isn’t how the feature is supposed to work. According to CNN, Instagram picks suggested songs by weighing signals such as the music you’ve used before and what’s in the photo or video you’re posting. With no obvious reason for all that Creed, users started building their own theories. Some of the complaints go back to August:
matthew stasoff@mattstasoffXI can’t prove it but pretty sure Creed is paying META to suggest their song “Higher” on all Instagram Stories
Aug 11, 2026 · View on X ↗By late September, people had started comparing notes:
carmeb@therealcbradXPosted 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. Theo algorithms want us to love creed
Sep 30, 2026 · View on X ↗And on the day CNN’s story ran, it was still happening:
the stabber@quiet_homeboyXEvery time I post an Instagram story the suggested song is Higher by Creed
Oct 8, 2026 · View on X ↗“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,” Pamela Ross, a communications specialist, told CNN. “I’m not following Creed, I’m not listening to Creed. Like what millennial was in charge of this decision?”
Users flagged Soulja Boy’s “Turn My Swag On,” too. That one, Instagram says, is earned. “The Soulja Boy song being recommended is not a bug, and it is actually popular on IG!” the spokesperson said.
“Higher” was the lead single from Creed’s second album, Human Clay, and the band’s first Top 10 hit. It has since become a karaoke staple and found a younger audience online, NME notes, and Creed have been back on the road since reuniting in 2024 after more than a decade away.
Instagram hasn’t said when the fix will land. Until it does, take some comfort: it isn’t just you. “That song is always recommended to me too!!” the spokesperson told CNN.
