Katy Perry slams Trump administration for using her song in video about military strikes: ‘Deeply appalled and angry’ | Today’s news
Katy Perry has slammed the White House for using her 2010 hit song “Firework” as the soundtrack to a TikTok video depicting military strikes, saying she neither condones nor condones the use.
Katy Perry criticizes the US government for using her song
The singer addressed the controversy in a post on X after the White House’s official TikTok account shared a video of military strikes. The video reportedly timed the song’s lyrics – “boom, boom, boom” – to images of bomb explosions and was captioned “Iran has been warned”.
Perry responded by directly condemning the use of her music, making it clear that the video did not represent the meaning she intended for the song or the values associated with it.
In her post on X, she wrote: “I am deeply appalled and outraged to see ‘Fireworks’ being used on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account as a backing track for military strike videos. I did not approve, I was not asked and I absolutely do not condone (sic).”
She continued: “I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments. To see a message of self-respect and upliftment as a weapon to destroy the soundtrack and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for (sic).”
Perry ended her statement by writing, “My music is for bringing people together, not glorifying warfare (sic).
The dispute comes amid a broader pattern of tension between the White House and musicians over the use of popular songs in official social media content.
The latest video seems to have attracted particular attention due to the contrast between the depiction and the meaning associated with “fireworks”. Released in 2010, the song has become one of Perry’s best-known hits and has long been associated with themes of self-confidence, resilience and personal empowerment.
In recent months, other prominent musicians have also criticized the White House for using their music in social media posts.
Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter have previously protested the use of one of her songs in content related to immigration enforcement, while other artists have also publicly challenged the administration over music used in its digital campaigns.
