Katy Perry’s Explosive Response: Why the White House’s Use of ‘Firework’ Sparked Outrage
What happens when a global pop anthem about hope and fireworks gets yoked onto a TikTok squabble about military strikes? Well, apparently, you get Katy Perry—queen of catchy choruses—visibly fuming at the White House for soundtracking explosions with her hit “Firework.” Sipping my morning coffee and stumbling across the bureaucratic remix of “Boom, boom, boom / Even brighter than the moon” had me wondering: have government social media managers collectively lost their Spotify privileges, or is this the new norm in public relations warfare? Honestly, I can’t decide if I’m shocked, bemused, or just outright angry on behalf of all those anthems now doing PR damage control. Perry’s outrage stings with a familiar note—in a world where TikTok trends and international diplomacy now intertwine, who actually owns the emotional core of a song once it’s out in the wild? If “Firework” can be repurposed as background noise for political chest-thumping, what’s next for the rest of our playlists? The saga only deepens as the ranks of artists speaking out against the politicization of their music keep swelling. Trust me—you’ll want to see the fallout for yourself. LEARN MORE.
Katy Perry has hit out at the White House for using her song Firework in a clip showing footage of military strikes.
The White House posted the clip, which features footage of explosions to the lyrics ‘Boom, boom, boom / Even brighter than the moon’, on its official TikTok account on Thursday 23 July, with the caption: “Iran has been warned.”
On Saturday 25 July, Perry slammed the White House for using her track saying she ‘did not approve’ it and does ‘not condone it’.
“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,” the 41-year-old wrote on X.
Perry went on to say that the song was about ‘healing’ and ‘hope’ and she disagreed with it being ‘weaponised’.
“I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments,” she continued.
“To see a message of self-worth and upliftment weaponised 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.”
As yet, the White House hasn’t responded to Perry’s comments and the video remains online on TikTok at the time of writing.
Perry is the latest in a long line of artists who have hit out at the White House for using their music.
Back in December, Sabrina Carpenter said her song Juno had been used in an ‘evil and disgusting’ video showing migrants being detained.
“Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” she wrote on X at the time.
Katy Perry is the latest in a long line of musicians who have called out the White House for using their music (Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty Images)
Ariana Grande had a more blunt response when her song Bye was used in a clip showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers carrying out arrest and detentions.
In response, Grande said: “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. f**k ICE.”
The track was later muted, although the video remained online.
Olivia Rodrigo also called out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after one of her tracks was used in a video promoting ICE.
Commenting on the clip, Rodrigo said ‘don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda’.
However, her comment was later removed.
In a statement shared with the Guardian at the time, a DHS spokesperson said: “America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe. We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice.”
In 2020, Linkin Park issued a cease and desist order after President Donald Trump used one of their songs in a video online, which was later quietly deleted.
The band wrote on X: “Linkin Park did not and does not endorse Trump, nor authorise his organisation to use any of our music.”
Adele, REM and Pharrell Williams have all also previously taken issue with Trump using their music online.
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