A new study by ticket aggregator SeatPick has identified the most annoying songs of 2025, with Sabrina Carpenter's 'Sugar Talking and Tears' taking the top spot. The analysis measured repetition, shrillness, harmonic dullness, and filler lyrics to calculate the likelihood that listeners would find a track irritating.
According to the data, nearly half of listeners (46 per cent) are likely to find Carpenter's song annoying due to its repetitiveness and harmonic dullness. Despite this, the 26-year-old singer has had a highly successful year, earning multiple awards including Best Pop Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards and Pop Artist of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Lady Gaga's 'The Dead Dance' ranked third on the list, with a 45.8 per cent chance of being found irritating. Repetition, brightness, and lyrical filler contributed to its high 'annoyingness index'. However, Gaga also celebrated a standout year, winning Best Pop Duo Performance at the Grammys for 'Die With a Smile', which had a 39.4 per cent chance of being found irritating.
BTS member Jimin's 'Who' rounded out the top four, with a 45.5 per cent chance of annoying listeners due to its repetitive hooks and bright, high-pitched tones. BTS, who began a group hiatus in 2022, recently announced a 2026-2027 world tour with over 70 dates across multiple continents.
Other songs deemed annoying included 'Beautiful People' by David Guetta and Sia, 'Make Believe' by Luke Dean and Omar+, and 'Just Keep Watching' by Tate McRae. On TikTok, 'Dame Un Grrr' by Fantomel and Kate Linn topped the list of most irritating trending songs, inspiring over 1.2 million user-generated videos.
