Pop superstar Katy Perry is taking a firm stand against the unauthorized use of her music, declaring she is “deeply appalled and angry” after the White House featured her 2010 hit single “Firework” in a TikTok video showing U.S. military strikes.
The dispute arose after the official White House TikTok account posted unclassified footage depicting missile strikes. The video timed the song’s famous lyrics—”Boom, boom, boom”—directly to explosions from the air strikes, accompanying the post with the caption: “Iran has been warned.”
“My Music Is Not for Celebrating Warfare”
Taking to social media platform X, Perry issued a direct statement clarifying that she had no prior knowledge of the video and firmly rejected the administration’s pairing of her empowering track with military violence.
“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. “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.”
The singer highlighted the stark contrast between the song’s original message and the way it was repurposed:
“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. My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.”
Perry’s public rebuke marks the latest in a series of pushbacks from major pop artists against official White House social media posts.
Previous Rebukes: Artists including Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo have previously called out the administration for pairing their pop anthems with official governmental promotional clips.
Song Legacy: “Firework,” released on Perry’s chart-topping 2010 album Teenage Dream, spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of her most recognizable empowerment anthems.
