Music is one of the surest ways to a person’s heart. If someone’s music taste is good, there are endless ways to bond and gain beautiful memories with someone. When it’s awful, there’s a jarring exchange that makes future dates extremely difficult to deal with.

Nowadays, though, we have dating apps that allow us a sneak preview into the music another person loves. As a result, it allows us a peek into the kind of person someone is before we even talk to them. We picked out four songs that let us know if we should immediately swipe left or not.

Four Songs That Will Make anyone Swipe Left on Your Dating Profile

“Runaway” by Kanye West and Pusha T

It’s literally in the name. As enchanting as the song is, someone who loves this song a little too much might be a red flag. Kanye West strips himself bare, honing in on his flaws as a partner. The intimacy scares him, the arguments grow hectic, and he’ll probably email pictures of his junk. It’s one thing to love “Runaway”, but to make it your profile song should give anyone the ick.

“You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift

Anyone who has spent a mild amount of time on social media has likely seen how crazy a devoted Swiftie can get. Consequently, broadcasting that in your dating profile might immediately raise some alarms. But “You Belong With Me” in particular signals that there might be a bit of jealousy and insecurity that you might not be ready to handle. If you don’t immediately swipe left, keep an eye out if they get extremely possessive.

“Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran

This one is really a matter of taste. Watching Ed Sheeran try his hand at a song he initially wrote for Rihanna is extremely jarring. A pasty white Brit tinkering with sanitized dancehall and saying your love was handmade for him is more than a bit off-putting. Not to mention, it’s one of the most popular songs of all time—dare to live a little and pick an album cut if you love Ed Sheeran so much.

“Let’s Get Married” by Jagged Edge

Nothing screams romantic quite like “we ain’t gettin’ no younger, we might as well do it.” The Jagged Edge classic certainly jams, but an examination of the lyrics will probably make you wonder how serious they are about their love lives. Good taste or not, a swipe left might be for the best.

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Every first date has the same game plan: look for all the red flags. The quicker you’re able to spot all of them, the easier it’ll be to realize whether or not you should pursue something serious with someone. The last thing you want is to get surprised out of nowhere when a certain trait about someone sours the relationship.

Perhaps the easiest way to root out these issues is to ask them their favorite artists. In a sense, what they listen to allows you a deeper examination into their psyche. If they play a lot of old-school R&B, they’re probably a hopeless romantic. If they play a lot of emo, they might grapple with depression.

The same idea applies to certain red flags. How they talk about their favorite artists will likely determine aspects about them that will make or break any future dates. We’ve selected three that might help narrow down the process.

Three Red Flags That Could Be Explained Through Their Favorite Artists

Kanye West = Talks About Themselves a Lot, Massive Ego

Even Kanye West will admit to having an unparalleled ego. Frankly, with the catalog he’s built over two decades, it’s at least a little understandable. However, that does not apply to the Kanye stan who works an extremely ordinary job.

Anyone who lives and dies by Ye will probably echo a lot of his sentiments, posing as an innovator and will probably talk your head off at a date, all while not asking a single question about you. If you wouldn’t date Ye and his red flags, you definitely should avoid them with a regular person too.

BTS/K-Pop = Obsessive, Controlling

From the outside looking in, K-Pop fandom can get pretty intense. The BTS army jumped down the group’s throats for taking a picture with Chris Brown. These are their ‘idols’ after all, so they have to make a good impression at all times.

This mindset would absolutely poison any healthy relationship. It’s fine to have some level of expectations. But it’s another thing entirely when every waking moment is meticulously monitored. As loyal and devoted as they might be, it’ll inevitably prove exhausting.

Taylor Swift = Main Character Syndrome

I mean, it goes without saying that the pop star who literally made a song called “ME!” might be at least mildly self-absorbed. Ever since her first big hits, Taylor Swift has made music like she’s the only person in the universe. On “You Belong With Me”, she talks about the cheerleader like the most evil person in the world. If it wasn’t written by a teenager, it would feel a little insane.

So eyeball that woman who likes “You Belong With Me” a little more than everyone else. They probably have red flags hidden in plain sight.

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The BTS Army rides for their favorite artists unlike any other working in popular music today. K-Pop fans in general are deeply devoted to their favorite groups and singers, mobilizing to shut down any of their biggest critics. However, there’s a reason they’ve compared themselves to the military and not just some generic name for a fanbase. So you could imagine their disappointment when two members of the group met and took a picture with Chris Brown.

During one of the stops on his massive R&B tour with Usher, Brown shared a moment with J-Hope and Namjoon of BTS. Given the group’s stylistic influences, it makes sense that they might align with an R&B legend.

However, due to numerous allegations and run-ins with the law, fans were disturbed. They couldn’t envision their favorite artists aligning with someone who has a history of allegations involving domestic violence and sexual assault.

One fan highlighted the head of the group, Kim Namjoon, in particular. They expressed their frustrations about how the leader would make such a decision without thinking of their audience. “Honestly I expected better but most of all i’m very disappointed in Namjoon,” they wrote on X. “Like you’re their leader and supposed to set an example. But I’m also not shocked because his words and actions haven’t been matching lately.”

BTS Disappoints Fans Online After Taking Picture with Chris Brown

Additionally, another fan shrugged, arguing that this is why it’s impossible to “separate art from the artist.” “This is exactly why disgusting men keep thriving and getting away with crimes,” they tweeted. “’I have no moral compass. No ethics. Zero concern for victims. I want to make an atrocious man more rich and void of consequences.’”

While BTS fans may be particularly incensed that they’re taking pictures with Chris Brown, the R&B star has bigger visions. He and his manager are eyeballing one of the biggest stages an artist could perform: the Super Bowl. “I think it’s safe to say… they need me!” Brown exclaimed after Bad Bunny’s performance in February 2026.

Meanwhile, his manager Anthony “Ant” Wilson told Billboard that it’s an inevitability that he graces the stage. “I also think the Super Bowl would be a great place for him. I believe it will happen,” Wilson shared.

As for BTS, they may not abstain from taking pictures with Chris Brown. But they did withdraw themselves from the 2027 Grammys. The band cited the institution’s new category for ‘Best Asian Pop Performance’ as their primary reason. “We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language,” they told their fans. “We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us.”

(Photo by Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP via Getty Images)

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Everyone, get your crochet beanie and chunky owl necklace out of the donate pile. We’re talking about late-2000s indie pop, whether you like it or not. Are these the best indie pop albums of the late 2000s? I wouldn’t say so. But are they still pretty good considering all the other stuff that was coming out at that time? Yeah, they’re not bad.

‘Aim and Ignite’ by Fun.

A lot of us like to dunk on Fun. for being the quintessential Millennial indie pop guys. But they did give us “Some Nights” and “We Are Young”, which have aged into their cloying sentimentality pretty well. Before that, however, they debuted in August 2009 with Aim and Ignite. This album featured “Be Calm” as the opening track, which was sort of like a precursor to “We Are Young”.

The final chorus of “Be Calm” is the real heavy hitter. “Oh be calm, be calm / I know you feel like you are breaking down / I know it gets so hard sometimes / Be calm / Take it from me, I’ve been there a thousand times / You hate your pulse because it still thinks you’re alive and everything’s wrong / It just gets so hard sometimes / Be calm, be calm.”

‘Volume One’ by She & Him

Nothing says Spring 2008 like Volume One by She & Him. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward’s indie-twee-pop project didn’t make the most involved music. But its retro simplicity was what drew people in. Plus, the obvious flaws in Zooey Deschanel’s singing voice just added to the strange charm. I admit, I had both Volume One and Volume Two on CD and listened to them a lot. I was going through a twee pop phase, whatever.

The standout track on Volume One has to be “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”. It’s a bubbly, cutesy little tune about liking someone a lot and wanting to hang out with them, but not wanting to make the first move. “Why do you let me stay here / All by myself / Why don’t you come and play here / I’m just sitting on the shelf”. As if saying, “Hey, why don’t you ask me out? I’m just sitting here with nothing to do!”

‘Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future’ by The Bird and the Bee

Indie pop duo The Bird and the Bee released their second album Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future in January 2009. This album is one of the better ones that came out of late-2000s indie pop with a hint of twee, and it holds up surprisingly well today.

That longevity has a lot to do with the layered styles on the album. For example, “My Love” is a quintessential 2009 romantic pop song, while “Witch” is a luxurious swirl of vintage style. By utilizing a range of stylistic elements, the duo created a timeless collection of indie pop delights.

Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic

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Have you ever gotten the ick from someone’s music taste? Sometimes, the smallest things determine whether a person will get a second date. But if you can’t even remotely bear the music they love, it just might not be compatible. Imagine spending a lifetime with someone and each time you go in the car with them, you have to grit your teeth through the ride.

Additionally, their taste in music can often reveal a lot about the kind of person they are. If they identify with a certain artist too much, it might give away aspects of who they are. That’s why people nip matters in the bud right after the first date. That way, we’re not left with any surprises the next time we see the person we’re dating.

But what are the immediate red flags? We’ve selected four records that might be a dead giveaway that there’s something wrong with that guy at the bar.

Four Songs That Would Instantly Make Me Turn Down a Second Date

“Ordinary” by Alex Warren

Someone who likes “Ordinary” too much might be extremely milquetoast. Wedding songs used to have soul and romance. But “Ordinary” is frigid, stiff, and made for a generation of prudes who unironically argue there’s too much sex in movies.

“Jocelyn Flores” by XXXTENTACION

At best, an XXXTENTACION stan is extremely moody and doesn’t contain a ton of depth. At their worst, they have some extremely problematic views and are a little too defensive of their favorite artist’s allegations. Regardless, 17 is a general downer of a record that you shouldn’t want to hear all the time, and “Jocelyn Flores” is its centerpiece.

“Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

This one is just a little annoying. Hearing Benson Boone scream on the radio for several months was maddening as is. Going to any store where they were playing the Top 40 hits without headphones was a nightmare. It would be even worse to carry that kind of misery beyond a second date. When he bellows “please stay,” it reeks of a desperation you definitely don’t want in a future partner.

The Hills by The Weeknd

A guy who is way too into The Weeknd tells you a few different things: he’s toxic, he’s grossly misogynistic, or he’s awful in bed. Or worse, all three at the same time. “The Hills” is probably the most overtly annoying of them all due to the constant overplay. The blaring 808s grow incredibly grating after the first dozen times we heard it in 2015. The worst guy you know loved this song, though.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

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The stars of KPop Demon Hunters are still navigating their newfound fame. In February 2026, EJAE, Andrey Nuna, and REI AMI performed “Golden” at the EE BAFTA Film Awards, held at the Royal Festival Hall in London. That evening, One Battle After Another dominated that ceremony with six big wins, including Best Film and Best Director. The film’s high-profile star, Leonardo DiCaprio, was in attendance, sitting front and center.

EJAE had faced years of rejection leading up to her casting in KPop Demon Hunters. Released in 2025, it quickly became the most-watched film in Netflix history. That’s an overwhelming feat for the new stars. The stars are now navigating how to be role models for millions of young girls around the world. This marked the singers’ first major televised performance as HUNTR/X. Ejae’s opening solo was noticeably shaky, and in a recent interview with The Times, she explained her nervousness.

EJAE said, “The BAFTAs haunt me. I made mistakes. I cracked a little bit on the high notes. Leonardo DiCaprio was [in the audience] right in front of me, and he was not smiling.”

In particular, a high note in the song heightened EJAE’s nervousness, with DiCaprio fully attentive. “That’s what put me off. He made me so nervous. It was already so nerve-racking to be in front of all these celebrities, and then I look up and lock eyes with Leonardo DiCaprio? Come on.” No matter how many celebrities you encounter, some are guaranteed to leave you starstruck. DiCaprio is widely considered one of the greatest actors of his time, so it’s completely understandable to feel the pressure while singing in front of him.

ejae’s mistake PARALLELS her CHARACTER’S voice crack in the film

EJAE’s character in the film, Rumi, cracks on the same note in the same place in the song. Many assumed her voice crack at the BAFTAs was purposeful, meant to reference the scene in the film. EJAE later denied that this was intentional and further explained that the major stars made her nervous.

One month after the BAFTAs, Netflix announced a KPop Demon Hunters sequel. The second film is sure to follow this first film’s massive global success. Given this, EJAE will have plenty of opportunities to redeem herself, and her die-hard young fans won’t hold the performance against her. In a turn of events, the way she accidentally paralleled a scene in the film was well received by her young audience. The experience may haunt EJAE now, but this will soon be forgotten with time as she’s brilliantly laughed off the moment.

Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images

The post ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Star EJAE Blames Voice Crack at the BAFTAs on Locking Eyes With This Terse Star: ‘He Was Not Smiling’ appeared first on VICE.

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