Amy B Wang
Washington: Pop star Katy Perry has slammed the White House for using one of her songs, Firework, in a TikTok video about US military strikes in Iran.
The short video, which the White House posted to its official TikTok account on Thursday (Washington time), included footage of bombs going off in Iran with the caption: “Iran has been warned.” Explosions in the video were timed to the part of Firework when Perry sings, “Boom, boom, boom”.
Perry said she was “deeply appalled and angry” to see that her 2010 hit song was being “weaponised” as a backing track for a video about destruction and violence in Iran.
“I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it,” she wrote on X.
Perry added that she had written Firework as “an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength” and that the White House’s use of the song in its TikTok was “a complete violation” of what it stood for.
“My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare,” Perry wrote.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In her post, Perry did not indicate whether she would pursue legal action to force the White House to take down the video.
Since February, US President Donald Trump and his administration have been mired in an unpopular war against Iran that he cannot seem to end. At least 18 US service members have been killed, including four in recently renewed hostilities after Trump declared earlier this month that a US-Iran ceasefire was “over”.
Perry is far from the first recording artist to demand their music not be used by Trump. In June, Ariana Grande blasted the White House for using her song, Bye, in another TikTok showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detaining people.
“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” she wrote in a comment beneath the video, adding an expletive.
Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and the rock band Semisonic have also recently rebuked the Trump administration for using their songs in official videos promoting ICE.
The Washington Post
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