JD Vance's Love for Backstreet Boys' 'I Want It That Way' Revealed by New Sleuth Site — Here's Why It Matters

In the world of politics, every detail is scrutinised, from policy decisions to personal tastes. A newly launched website, dedicated to uncovering the musical preferences of lawmakers, recently unearthed a surprising revelation: Senator JD Vance's affinity for the Backstreet Boys' hit 'I Want It That Way.'

This seemingly trivial discovery has sparked a broader conversation, prompting us to consider the significance of such personal details in the public sphere. What can a politician's playlist tell us about them? And why does this particular song choice resonate so deeply?

From the Senate Floor to the Concert Stage

JD Vance, the current US Vice President, is a confirmed fan of 'I Want It That Way' by the Backstreet Boys. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt turns to Beyoncé's 'Run the World (Girls)' for a boost of energy. Meanwhile, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi enjoys cranking up Nelly's 'Hot In Herre.'

This information comes from Panama Playlists, a recently launched website that claims to uncover the secret musical preferences of politicians, tech executives and journalists.

'I found the real Spotify accounts of celebrities, politicians and journalists. Many use their real names', the anonymous site creator wrote. 'With a little sleuthing, I could say with near-certainty: yep, this is them.'

The anonymous researcher, who stated they have been gathering data from accounts since the summer of 2024, maintains that only information already available to the public was used.

'I've been scraping their playlists for over a year. Some individuals even have a setting enabled that displays their last played song. I scraped this continuously, so I know what songs they played, how many times and when.'

The site also specifies that it is not connected to Spotify and presents the project as more light-hearted than malicious.

Why a Politician's Playlist Matters

Initially, this may seem like harmless gossip, but it highlights a much larger issue: the amount of personal information we make publicly available without realising it. A person's playlist can offer clues about their mood, character and even their political views.

When combined with other public data, these seemingly insignificant details create a surprisingly complete picture of a person. The real takeaway here is that privacy breaches don't always require a hacker; sometimes, the very platforms we use are the ones leaving the doors wide open.

A Glimpse into Private Playlists

The information revealed by Panama Playlists is an intriguing mix, with some song choices feeling so fitting they're almost unbelievable. Here are a few notable examples:

1. JD Vance

The vice president's 'Making Dinner' playlist features 'I Want It That Way' by the Backstreet Boys and 'One Time' by Justin Bieber. His other playlist, 'Gold On The Ceiling', includes a variety of selections such as 'What Makes You Beautiful' by One Direction, 'You are a Tourist' by Death Cab for Cutie and 'San Francisco' by The Mowgli's.

2. Karoline Leavitt

The White House press secretary's 'Baby Shower' playlist featured tracks like Beyoncé's 'Run the World (Girls)' and 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' by Cyndi Lauper. The fact that the playlist's creation coincided with her actual baby shower provides strong evidence that the account belongs to her.

3. Sam Altman

The OpenAI CEO's 'My Shazam Tracks' playlist indicates he has searched for Missy Elliott's 'Get Ur Freak On', 'Blame It on Me' by George Ezra and 'I Don't Wanna Wait' by David Guetta and OneRepublic.

4. Pam Bondi

The US attorney general's playlist, titled 'Pam', features 'Hot In Herre' by Nelly, 'Hands to Myself' by Selena Gomez and 'Cold As Ice' by Foreigner.

5. Ron DeSantis

The Florida governor sticks to the classics. His playlist features 'Ring of Fire' by Johnny Cash, Billy Joel's 'Piano Man' and 'Life Is a Highway' by Rascal Flatts.

6. Mike Johnson

The House speaker has a Pandora account with songs like 'The Parachutes' by Jerry Goldsmith, 'May It Be' by Enya and 'One Night Love Affair' by Bryan Adams.

7. Adam Mosseri

The Instagram CEO's playlist, titled 'Hang', reveals a more soulful and reflective side. It includes 'July' by Noah Cyrus and Leon Bridges, 'River' by Leon Bridges, 'Strangers' by The Kinks and 'Famous Blue Raincoat' by Leonard Cohen. He also adds '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' by Otis Redding and 'Mr. Lonely' by Bobby Vinton.

The Takeaway from Panama Playlists

The Panama Playlists project demonstrates how a person's musical tastes can diverge from their public persona, revealing unexpected interests that challenge our assumptions. The lesson here is that your playlists might be more exposed than you realise.

By default, Spotify sets playlists to public, and you have to change them to private manually.

This situation is less about a love for a particular music genre and more about digital exposure. The songs you thought were just for you could already be revealing a lot about your life to complete strangers.

Tips to Protect Your Playlist

This situation serves as a timely reminder to review the privacy settings on your music streaming accounts, whether you use Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music. Here is how you can protect yourself:

Spotify

1) Make Playlists Private

Turn off the public defaults. Only share the playlists you specifically want others to see.

Spotify

To stop new playlists from automatically being public:

Tap your profile picture in the top left.

Go to Settings and privacy.

Select Privacy & Social.

Turn off Public playlists.

Apple Music

Here is how you can protect your privacy on Apple Music:

Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone or iPad.

Tap your profile picture or icon in the top right corner of the screen.

Tap 'View Profile'.

On your profile page, tap 'Edit'.

Find the toggle for 'Listening To' or 'Allow Others to See What You're Listening To' and turn it off to stop sharing your listening activity on Apple Music.

YouTube Music

Here's how to change your playlist's privacy settings on YouTube Music:

Open and sign in to the YouTube Music app.

Tap your profile picture to access your Library.

Locate the playlist you want to modify. You can long-press on it or open it and tap the three dots (...).

Select 'Edit playlist'.

Under the Privacy section, choose your preferred option from the list below:

Private: This playlist is only visible to you.

Unlisted: Anyone with the link can view it, but it won't appear in search results.

Public: The playlist is accessible and viewable by anyone.

Tap 'Done' or 'Save' to apply your changes.

Adjust New and Existing Playlists

Regrettably, there is no global setting to make all playlists private simultaneously. Therefore, you must adjust the privacy settings for each individual. The privacy setting is available when you create a new playlist or edit an existing one. For brand-new playlists, a privacy selection box will appear during the creation process.