Katy Perry Criticizes White House Over ‘Firework’ Used in Video Depicting Military Strikes
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Perry condemned the use of her song, saying that pairing its message of empowerment and self-worth with images of destruction and violence completely contradicts what “Firework” represents.
Katy Perry is criticizing the White House after her hit song “Firework” was featured in a social media video showing images of military strikes.
On Thursday, July 23, the official White House TikTok account uploaded a video using Perry’s 2010 anthem as its soundtrack. The clip included footage of missiles exploding while the song’s repeated “boom, boom, boom” lyric played in the background.
The post carried the caption, “Iran has been warned.”
Two days later, on Saturday, July 25, Perry, 41, publicly objected to the use of her music in the video. The singer said she had neither authorized nor been consulted about the track being used and made clear that she did not support the message conveyed by the post.
Perry explained that “Firework” was created to encourage people facing difficult periods in their lives, with themes centered on hope, resilience and believing in oneself. She argued that placing those themes alongside imagery of violence and destruction distorted the song’s intended message.
The singer added that she views her music as something meant to connect people rather than serve as a soundtrack for military action.
Perry is the latest in a growing list of musicians who have objected to their songs being used by the Trump administration without their approval. Artists including Céline Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Linkin Park, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and Radiohead have previously pushed back against the use of their music by the administration since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The issue has also involved other prominent pop stars. In June, Ariana Grande criticized the White House after one of its TikTok videos promoting its immigration enforcement efforts featured her song “Bye.”
The video showed footage of ICE and other law enforcement officers arresting people and used Grande’s track, which appears on her Eternal Sunshine album. The accompanying caption referenced the song while praising the administration’s border policies.
Grande, 33, responded in the comments on June 11, objecting strongly to the association between her music and the immigration crackdown. The song was subsequently muted in the video.
Kesha previously voiced a similar objection in March. Her 2010 hit “Blow” appeared in a White House video containing footage of a fighter jet launching a missile toward a naval vessel, followed by an explosion.
In an Instagram Stories post on March 2, Kesha said she had learned that her song had been used in connection with messaging about violence and war. She also condemned what she described as an attempt to make warfare appear trivial or entertaining.
Perry’s comments add to the continuing dispute between musicians and political figures over the unauthorized use of copyrighted music in campaign, government and social media content.