Katy Perry slams Trump administration for using her song in military strikes video: ‘Deeply appalled and angry’

Katy Perry has criticised the White House for using her 2010 hit ‘Firework’ as the soundtrack to a TikTok video depicting military strikes, saying she neither approved nor condoned the use.

Katy Perry slams US government for using her song

The singer addressed the controversy in a post on X after the official White House TikTok account shared a video featuring footage of military strikes. The video reportedly timed the song’s lyrics — “boom, boom, boom” — to images of bomb explosions and carried the caption “Iran has been warned”.

Perry responded by directly condemning the use of her music, making clear that the video did not represent the meaning she intended for the song or the values associated with it.

In her post on X, she wrote, “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 (sic).”

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 (sic).”

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

The dispute comes amid a wider pattern of tension between the White House and musicians over the use of popular songs in official social media content.

The latest video appears to have drawn particular attention because of the contrast between the imagery and the meaning associated with ‘Firework’. Released in 2010, the song became one of Perry’s best-known hits and has long been associated with themes of self-belief, resilience and personal empowerment.

In recent months, other high-profile musicians have also criticised the White House over the use of their music in social media posts.

Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter have previously objected to the use of one of her songs in content linked to immigration enforcement, while other artists have also publicly challenged the administration over music used in its digital campaigns.