Katy Perry has condemned the White House for using her 2010 hit “Firework” as the soundtrack for a video depicting U.S. military strikes in Iran.
The Trump administration shared the clip on the official White House TikTok account earlier this week, pairing the footage of military operations with the song and adding the caption “Iran has been warned.” Perry said she was neither consulted nor granted permission for the use of her music.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on July 25, she wrote, “I am deeply appalled and angry to see ‘Firework’ used on the White House TikTok as a backing track for video footage of military strikes. I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.”
I am deeply appalled and angry to see “Firework” used on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes. I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.
I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and…
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 25, 2026
She went on to explain that “Firework” is intended as an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people facing personal hardships. “To see a message of self‑worth and upliftment weaponised to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for,” she added. “My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare,” she concluded.
“Firework” originally appeared on Perry’s third album, “Teenage Dream,” and became one of her biggest singles, topping the Billboard Hot 100. The song previously featured at a very different White House event when Perry performed it outside the Lincoln Memorial during President Joe Biden’s televised inauguration ceremony in January 2021, accompanied by a large fireworks display over Washington, D.C.
Perry’s objection adds her voice to a growing chorus of musicians who have spoken out against the Trump administration’s practice of using copyrighted songs in government social‑media posts. Recent critics include Ariana Grande, who denounced the pairing of her track “Bye” with ICE detention footage; Kesha over “Blow” in a military video; Boards of Canada and Warp Records concerning the unauthorized use of “Deep Time” with border‑patrol imagery; and Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo, who described similar ICE and propaganda‑related videos as “evil” and “racist propaganda.” Other artists and estates that have objected include The Rolling Stones, Adele, Neil Young, Jack White, ABBA, Céline Dion, Foo Fighters, Isaac Hayes’ estate and Eddie Grant.
