A new data-driven study has crowned the musical tracks that grated on listeners' nerves the most throughout 2025, with global pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter leading the pack.
The Science Behind the Irritation
While 2025 was a massive year for music, marked by record-breaking releases and viral TikTok sensations, not every popular song was universally loved. Experts at the leading ticket aggregator SeatPick conducted an analysis to determine the year's most irritating tracks. They examined the most popular songs on Apple Music and official charts, then measured specific auditory factors including repetition, shrillness, harmonic dullness, and filler lyrics. From this, they calculated a percentage chance that the average listener would find each song annoying.
Pop Stars Dominate the 'Annoying' Charts
Topping the unfortunate list are two tracks from Sabrina Carpenter: Sugar Talking and Tears. Data metrics indicated that 46 per cent of listeners are likely to find these songs irritating, primarily due to their repetitiveness and harmonic dullness. Despite this, the 26-year-old artist enjoyed a phenomenally successful year, scooping multiple awards including a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance and iHeartRadio's Pop Artist of the Year.
In third place is Lady Gaga's The Dead Dance, which scored highly on the 'annoyingness index'. Its repetition, brightness, and lyrical filler contributed to a 45.8 per cent likelihood of irritation. Gaga also had a standout year, winning a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Die With a Smile—a track that itself has a 39.4 per cent chance of being found annoying.
Rounding out the top four is Who by BTS member Jimin, with a 45.5 per cent chance of irritating listeners, thanks to its repetitive hooks and bright, high-pitched tones. This comes as BTS, on hiatus since 2022 for military service and solo projects, announced a massive 2026-2027 world tour set to include Australian dates.
From TikTok Trends to TV Ads
The study also cast its net over the world of social media trends. The song deemed the most irritating viral hit on TikTok for 2025 is Dame Un Grrr by Fantomel and Kate Linn. Its catchiness helped it dominate the platform, inspiring over 1.2 million user-generated videos. It was closely followed by Ca$h Out's She Twerkin.
Other notable entries on the broader list include Jess Glynne's Hold My Hand, which gained initial traction through a Jet2Holidays advertisement, and tracks from artists like Tate McRae, Dom Dolla with Daya, and Ed Sheeran.
The full top ten most annoying songs of 2025, according to the SeatPick analysis, includes:
- Sabrina Carpenter – Sugar Talking & Tears
- Lady Gaga – The Dead Dance
- Jimin (BTS) – Who
- David Guetta & Sia – Beautiful People
- Luke Dean and Omar+ – Make Believe
- Tate McRae – Just Keep Watching
- Dom Dolla & Daya – Dreamin
- Ed Sheeran – Azizam
- Chrystal & Notion – The Days
- Jess Glynne – Hold My Hand
The research proves that even within a year of incredible musical success and chart dominance, listener fatigue can set in with songs that rely heavily on repetitive formulas, creating a fascinating divide between commercial popularity and auditory irritation.
