Perfect harmony; dating a music lover

As America gets set to celebrate UNESCO’s International Jazz Day at the end of April, EliteSingles’ dedicated research team decided to dig a little deeper and get familiar with the country’s musical tastes. On the back of surveying over 1600 American singles registered with our dating site, many of whom are fully fledged music lovers, here are the good vibrations emanating from the ‘land of the free’.

America’s madly in love with music

It’s official; America is a nation of music lovers! EliteSingles’ most recent study, based on anonymous user data, found that a convincing 97% of respondents agreed that listening to music with a partner is a great way to crank up the romance. What’s more, 85% of respondents said that being knowledgeable about music was an attractive quality for a prospective partner to possess. According to the study, 40% of American singles have a passionate interest in music, whilst two out of three revealed they listened to music multiple times a day.

Additionally, 67% of American singles said it’s a prerequisite for a partner to be interested in music, with just over half stressing the importance of sharing a similar taste and one in three participants even suggested they’d be put off someone if their tastes weren’t in tune! When it comes to genres, rock and roll hit the highest note with 26% of those surveyed saying it’s their go-to sound. Folk & Country landed second place with 11.5% of the vote, with pop fans representing a close third for America’s favorite genre at 11%.

Music and love go hand in hand

As well as asking our respondents to reveal their favorite genres, we also wanted to gauge people’s attitudes towards live music and dating. According to our study, three-quarters of American singles think that going to a concert is a great first date idea. Of the music lovers who voted in favor of gigging, the majority (29%) said that a rock concert would be just the ticket. For those not partial to rocking out, smartening up and enjoying a classical performance came in second place (15%), whilst pop concerts took the third spot (13%).

Festivals were another topic we were eager to explore. The majority of American singles, 64% to be precise, said that camping at a music festival would be an experience they’d enjoy sharing with their partner, almost two-thirds of both men and women eager to pitch their tent and dive straight into the crowd.

READ MORE: 25 songs to listen to when you’re missing someone

Tweaking a music lover’s heartstrings

Crooners take note! Believe it or not, 82% of the people we surveyed said they’d find it romantic if their partner sang to them (though the remaining 18% said it would end in sheer embarrassment). Interestingly, over a quarter of men said they’d willingly learn how to play an instrument in order to impress a partner while only 16% of American women felt similarly.

If you’re going to master an instrument, which one should you choose? To that end, there must be millions of adolescents who’ve picked up a badly strung guitar with the hope of one day enjoying the trappings of a Keith Richards lifestyle. Though this is thought to be a cliché, it turns out those steadfast strummers get the last laugh. According to our survey, 36% of Americans think the guitar is the most attractive instrument for someone to play. Drummers may want to ditch their sticks if their percussive pursuit is solely for the sake of picking up partners; 33% put down drums when asked to divulge their least attractive instrument.

READ MORE: Not musical? How about inking a love-letter!

America’s sexiest singers

Lastly, we asked our respondents to list their favorite musical heartthrobs. Topping the male charts in emphatic style is the one and only Bruce Springsteen, with 41% of American singles admitting that The Boss’ heartland rock and swarthy looks send them swooning. Second place went to Lenny Kravitz, with the rocker just beating David Bowie in third spot (16%).

The verdict on the country’s most favored female acts shines the spotlight on R&B sensation Jennifer Lopez, winning the polls with 38% of the votes Often regarded as the ‘Queen of Rock and Roll,’ Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks proved she still features in the Dreams of American singles as she scored 31% of the vote in second, whilst another legend in the music world, Madonna, stayed on her throne in third with 9% of the vote.

So there you have it! Whether you’re considering dusting off that old guitar, penning a ballad to say ‘I love you’, or brushing up on your musical knowledge, one thing’s for certain; America is full of singles who can rightly call themselves bona fide music lovers! It seems that music is indeed the food of love! Play on, we say.

If you have any questions about this survey, or about dating a music lover, then let us know – comment below, email us at [email protected], or if you’re a journalist with a media question you can find more contact details on our Press Page.

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