Striking a chord: the secrets to dating for music lovers

As Canada finishes celebrating Record Store Day and Canadian Music Week and gets ready for UNESCO’s International Jazz Day, EliteSingles has found out if musical taste can have an influence on your love life. We surveyed 600 Canadian singles, many of whom are fully fledged music lovers, to get the insights on music, dating, and all that jazz.

Music and love go hand in hand in Canada

It’s official; Canada is a nation of music lovers, and playing tunes is the way to melt Canadian hearts! EliteSingles’ most recent study found that 58% of Canadians say they have an above-average interest in music, with 63% revealing they listen to music multiple times a day. Perhaps this is why a convincing 97% of respondents agree that listening to music with a partner is a great way to crank up the romance and 82% of respondents believe that being knowledgeable about music is an attractive quality for a prospective partner to possess.

What’s more, for many, being musical isn’t just attractive, it’s a prerequisite: 67% of Canadian singles say a partner must be interested in music. Additionally, just over half stress that it’s extra attractive to share a similar taste (and 30% even suggest they’d be put off someone if their tastes weren’t in tune!).

• Read more: want to make your love life more musical? These are the world’s best romantic love songs

For those about to rock, we adore you

When it comes to the best genres on the bill, rock and roll hit the highest note. 26% of those surveyed say it’s their go-to sound. Pop landed second place with 17% of the vote and country music fans make folk/country Canada’s third favourite genre with 15%. Jazz didn’t make the top 3, with just 8% of respondents ranking it as their #1 genre – but perhaps the International Jazz Day celebrations will help to boost its profile.

• Read more: not with the one you love this International Jazz Day? Here are 25 songs about missing someone

This is the ticket to dating a music lover

As well as asking our respondents to reveal their favourite genres, we also wanted to gauge people’s attitudes towards live music and dating. According to our study, a huge 70% of Canadian singles think that going to a concert is a great first date idea. Of these gig-going music lovers, the majority (27%) said that a rock concert would be just the ticket. For those not partial to rocking out, pop concerts came in second place (16%), while dancing the night away at a music club was the third best option, chosen by 13%.

Festivals were another topic we were eager to explore. Nearly two-thirds of singles, (66%), said that camping at a music festival would be an experience they’d enjoy sharing with their partner. Nevertheless, it appears that Canadian men were more partial to the idea than their female counterparts: 71% of men think that the idea of dancing in muddy fields and sleeping in tents is romantic, while only 58% of Canadian women agree.

• Read more: looking for out-of-the-ordinary way to romance someone? Try these 8 creative date ideas

Tweaking a music lover’s heart strings

Crooners take note! Believe it or not, a huge 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).

If you don’t have the pipes, picking up an instrument can also be charming: 46% said their attraction to someone would increase if they learned their crush played a musical instrument. Interestingly, over a quarter of men (26%) said they’d willingly learn how to play an instrument in order to impress a partner. Far fewer women would be similarly inclined – just 12% would learn an instrument for love!

If you’re going to master an instrument to impress someone, which one should you choose? The stock answer of course, is guitar – and, while this may be common enough to seem cliché, in fact the survey proved there may be something genuinely alluring about those who can strum a chord. 40% of Canadians think the guitar is the most attractive instrument for someone to play, setting guitar players well ahead of the rest of the pack (with 25% of the vote, the piano is the second-most attractive instrument to play, followed by the saxophone on 8%). At the other end of the scale is the flute – 32% of Canadians think the flute is the least sexy of all the instruments, followed closely by drums on 27%.

• Read more: more of a wordsmith than a musical maestro? Writing a love letter can be another way to make Canadians swoon

Canada’s top troubadours

Lastly, we asked our respondents to list their favourite musical heartthrobs. Topping the male charts in emphatic style is the one and only Bruce Springsteen, with 37% of Canadians admitting that Springsteen’s heartland rock and swarthy looks make him The Boss of their hearts. Second place went to British legend David Bowie, with the illustrious rocker and space oddity bagging 21% of the vote. Third spot (20%) went to actor/singer Lenny Kravitz, who edged out legendary lotharios like Mick Jagger (in 4th place) to claim a spot in the top 3.

The verdict on the country’s most favoured female acts was less of a close run-race – acclaimed singer and actress Jennifer Lopez swept the rest of the block with 48% of the vote. Second place went to Fleetwood Mac songstress and music legend Stevie Nicks (making her a Silver Dust Woman, perhaps?), while Madonna proved she is still in Vogue, with 9% of the vote and third place.

• Read more: these are the musicians lighting up Canadian hearts, but what about other celebrities? We found out the actors that Canadians adore

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: Canada is full of singles who can rightly call themselves bona fide music lovers!

EliteSingles editorial, April 2017

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

About the author: Sophie Watson

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