Key Takeaways
- Katy Perry condemned the Trump White House for using her hit "Firework" over TikTok footage of U.S. military strikes on Iran, calling the move a "complete violation" of what the song represents.
- She said she was "deeply appalled and angry," stressing that "Firework" was written as an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength, not to have its message of self-worth "weaponized to soundtrack destruction" or to "celebrate warfare."
- The backlash adds Perry to a growing list of artists, including Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and the Rolling Stones, who have blasted the administration for using their music in hardline immigration and war propaganda posts without consent.
Katy Perry has publicly condemned the Trump administration for setting military strike footage to her 2010 classic "Firework" without her consent.
The White House's official TikTok account posted the video on Thursday (July 23), timing the bridge's "boom, boom, boom" lyrics to black-and-white clips of bomb explosions at a dock. The caption read: "Iran has been warned 🎆."
On Saturday morning (July 24), Perry fired back at the post, calling it a "complete violation" of the representation of her music, posting a statement on X addressing the White House account.
"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," the 143 artist wrote.
"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 inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments."
Perry added that the song's "message of self-worth and upliftment" was "weaponized to soundtrack destruction," which opposes what her music represents. "My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare."
"Firework" is the third single from Perry’s landmark 2010 album, Teenage Dream, and spent four non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 100. The song was also heard prominently in 2025 Ari Aster film Eddington.
Perry joins multiple pop artists who’ve blasted the White House for using their music on social media, including Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and the Rolling Stones, all of whom have pushed back against the administration for unauthorized use of their work.
