Key Insights

• Response: Katy Perry condemned the White House for using her song “Firework” without permission.
• Context: The song was featured in a TikTok post related to military strikes.
• Message: Perry emphasized that her song represents hope and healing, not violence.
• Criticism: Other artists have also spoken out against unauthorized use of their music in political contexts.

Katy Perry is speaking out after the White House used her hit song “Firework” without her permission.

The 41-year-old pop star took to social media on Saturday (July 25) to condemn the Trump administration for featuring the 2010 anthem in a White House TikTok post showing footage of military strikes. Earlier this week, the White House’s official TikTok account shared a video that synchronized Perry’s “boom, boom, boom” lyrics with black-and-white footage of bombing. The post was captioned, “Iran has been warned.”

“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,” Perry wrote on X. “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.”

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-worth and upliftment weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for.”

Perry concluded her statement by writing, “My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.”

Released as the third single from Perry’s 2010 album Teenage Dream, “Firework” became one of the singer’s standout hits, spending four nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Perry is among dozens of artists who have criticized the Trump administration over the unauthorized use of their music in political videos and at campaign rallies.

In June, Ariana Grande blasted the White House for using her 2024 song “Bye” in a TikTok video promoting ICE agents making arrests. Earlier this year, Kesha also criticized the Trump administration after her song “Blow” was used without authorization in a TikTok featuring fighter jets and military strike footage captioned “Lethality.”

Check out Perry’s post on X below.