Katy Perry slams White House for using ‘Firework’ in Iran strike video
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Katy Perry criticized the White House for using her 2010 hit song “Firework” in a TikTok video without her permission, years after the pop star sold most of her music catalog in a $225 million deal.
On Thursday, the White House TikTok account shared a video featuring black-and-white footage of recent military strikes against Iranian targets and timed to the “boom, boom, boom” lyric from the song “Fireworks.”
The caption of the photo read “Iran has been warned” along with a firework emoji.
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The 41-year-old pop star condemned the inclusion of her song in the music video in an old Twitter post she shared on Saturday.
“I was deeply appalled and outraged to see ‘Fireworks’ being used as a prop for video footage of military strikes on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account,” Perry wrote. he said. “I did not approve of this, I was not asked and I certainly do not approve of it.”
Katy Perry criticized the White House for using her song “Firework” in her military attack video. (Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“I wrote this song as an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments,” he continued. “To see the message of self-worth and uplift weaponized to a soundtrack of destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for.”
“My music is to bring people together, not to celebrate war,” Perry concluded.
The White House dispatch comes as President Donald Trump’s administration remains stuck in a tense impasse with Iran following recent U.S. military strikes and ongoing diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation.
When reached for comment, the White House sent Fox News Digital a x post By Kaelan Dorr, Assistant to the President and Deputy Communications Director.
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In response to Perry’s post, Dorr shared a montage from the music video for the singer’s 2012 song “Part of Me,” in which the 13-time Grammy Award nominee is seen joining the U.S. Marine Corps and undergoing military training with other soldiers.
“Is this you?” Dorr wrote alongside the video:
In September 2023, Perry sold the rights to her music catalog, which includes her first five studio albums, to Litmus Music, a subsidiary of The Carlyle Group, in a deal reportedly worth $225 million. The deal included his interest in master recording royalties and music publishing rights for the films “One of the Boys” (2008), “Teenage Dream” (2010), “PRISM” (2013), “Witness” (2017) and “Smile” (2020).
“Firework”, released as the third single from “Teenage Dream” in 2010, remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks and became one of the biggest hits of his career. The song’s success helped “Teenage Dream” make Michael Jackson’s “Bad” the only album in history to produce five number-one singles.
Perry sold most of her music catalog, including “Firework”, for $225 million in 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
In addition to “Firework,” the sale also included Perry’s other mega-hit singles, including “I Kissed A Girl,” “Hot N’ Cold,” “Roar,” “California Gurls” and “Dark Horse.”
Perry is the latest artist to clash with the Trump administration over the use of her songs in official social media posts. Other musicians who have recently objected include Ariana Grande, Kesha, Sabrina Carpenter, Céline Dion, Bruce Springsteen and others.
In June, Grande criticized the Trump administration for using her song “Bye” in a TikTok video depicting Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests, writing in the comments section: “Please don’t use my music regarding this barbaric, inhumane, disgusting nonsense. Damn it.”
The White House later responded to the “Wicked” star in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
“We will say this for the last time: It is the criminal illegal aliens who are actually barbaric, inhumane, and disgusting who are injuring and killing innocent American citizens.” White House spokesman Abigail Jackson said.
However, the song was later removed from the video.
Perry became the latest artist to clash with the Trump administration for using her music in social media videos. (Getty Images)
In March, Kesha condemned the White House on social media after using her 2010 hit “Blow” in a TikTok video showing a fighter jet launching a missile at a target at sea, saying the administration was using her music to “incite violence and threaten war.”
“Trying to make light of war is disgusting and inhumane,” Kesha wrote on X.
“Die Young” singer says he “absolutely” disapproves my music “It is used to encourage all kinds of violence.”
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Ariana Grande previously criticized the White House for using her song “Bye” in a TikTok video showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
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The post continued: “Love always triumphs over hate. Please love yourselves and each other in times like these. This blatant display of disregard for human life and frankly this attack on all of our nervous systems is the exact opposite of what I stand for.”
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At the time, Dorr responded in an X post: “Kesha quotes are like Popeye’s spinach for this team. Memes? They’ll keep going. Winning? Will keep going.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also spoke out about
