Katy Perry says she is “deeply appalled” after the White House used her hit song Firework in a video of military strikes.
“Iran has been warned,” the White House wrote in the caption of the TikTok video showing “unclassified” missiles hitting targets, as Perry sings “boom, boom, boom, even brighter than the moon, moon, moon.”
“I am deeply appalled and angry to see Firework used on the White House TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes,” the 41-year-old singer wrote in a post on X. “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.”
Perry said she wrote Firework as an anthem of “hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments.”
“To see a message of self-worth and upliftment weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for,” Perry wrote. “My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.”
When Global News reached out to the White House for comment, they shared the link to deputy assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump and deputy communications director Kaelan Dorr’s response on X to Perry’s post.
Dorr shared a montage of clips from Perry’s Part of Me music video, where the singer is seen joining the U.S. Marines.
“This you?” Dorr wrote in the tweet alongside the video.
The White House spokesperson also shared a link to an article about Perry selling her catalogue rights to Litmus Music for USD $225 million in 2023.
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Multiple musical artists over the years have requested Trump and his administration stop using their songs.
Last month, Ariana Grande told Trump’s administration to stop using her music to promote its policies.
The comment came after the White House shared a video on TikTok highlighting its immigration policy. The video, which depicts federal agents arresting and handcuffing people, features the Grammy Award-winning singer’s 2024 song Bye.
“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” Grande wrote in a comment posted on the White House video on TikTok.
Responding to Grande, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: “We’ll say this one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.”
In December, pop star Sabrina Carpenter condemned the White House for using her song Juno in a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) video depicting ICE raids.
The video, shared to The White House’s official X account, shows ICE officers detaining people while quoting lyrics from Carpenter’s song in the caption.
“Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye,” the White House X account wrote in the post attached to the video featuring Carpenter’s song, followed by a pair of waving and heart eyes emojis.
“This video is evil and disgusting,” Carpenter, 27, wrote in response. “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
The White House defended its immigration policy after Carpenter criticized it.
“Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?” White House spokesperson Jackson said in a statement, using another Carpenter reference from her song Manchild.
Kenny Loggins made headlines in October for speaking out against Trump using his song Danger Zone in an AI video posted to his Truth Social account in response to the “No Kings” protests.
In a statement shared with Variety, Loggins, 78, demanded that his song be removed from the video, which depicts Trump in a fighter jet dropping what appears to be fecal matter on “No Kings” protesters.
“This is an unauthorized use of my performance of Danger Zone. Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately,” Loggins said in the statement.
“I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together,” Loggins continued.
Danger Zone was famously used in the 1986 Top Gun film, which is what the AI video appears to be paying homage to.
In response to a request for comment on the video, a representative for the White House reportedly sent Variety a Top Gun meme that read: “I feel the need for speed.”
Legendary Canadian rocker Neil Young has long been outspoken about Trump, frequently criticizing the president’s policies and objecting to the use of his music at political events.
In August 2020, Young filed a lawsuit against the Trump campaign for copyright infringement one month after writing Trump an open letter asking him to cease using his music at campaign rallies.
“This complaint is not intended to disrespect the rights and opinions of American citizens, who are free to support the candidate of their choosing,” stated the complaint filed in New York federal court. “However, Plaintiff in good conscience cannot allow his music to be used as a ‘theme song’ for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate.”
Young said that Trump’s campaign lacked a licence to publicly perform the songs Rockin’ in the Free World and Devil’s Sidewalk. The musician stated that Trump has used his music for years without permission. Following the lawsuit, Trump no longer used Young’s music at rallies or on social media.
—With files from Reuters
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