"My Song Is Not Meant to Praise War" ... Katy Perry Publicly Slams The White House

[Financial News]  U.S. pop star Katy Perry publicly pushed back after The White House used her signature song, "Firework," without permission in a promotional video about the Iran strikes, saying she would "never accept" it. As U.S. government agencies increasingly use songs by well-known artists in promotional videos without authorization, backlash from the pop music industry is also growing.

On the 25th local time, U.S. daily The Washington Post and others reported that Katy Perry posted on her X account, "I felt deep disappointment and anger when I saw 'Firework' used as background music for a military strike video on The White House's official TikTok account. I never approved it, was never asked, and I will absolutely not tolerate it."

Katy Perry also said, "I wrote this song to give hope, healing, and inner strength to people going through the hardest times," adding that using a message meant to encourage self-worth and courage as background music for destruction and violence is an act that completely undermines the song's meaning.


She emphasized, "My music is meant to bring people together, not to praise war."

The controversial video was a short-form clip posted by The White House on its official TikTok account on the 23rd. It used Katy Perry's 2010 hit "Firework" as background music for footage showing bombs exploding in Iran, alongside the caption, "We warned Iran." The controversy deepened as the video intercut the explosion scenes to the song's "boom, boom, boom" lyrics.
So far, The White House has not issued any response to Katy Perry's protest, and the video remains online. Katy Perry has also not said whether she will pursue legal action.
Katy Perry has long been one of Hollywood's most outspoken critics of President Donald Trump, and during the 2024 U.S. presidential election, she publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris by joining a campaign rally.
In the U.S. pop music scene, disputes over government agencies' unauthorized use of music have been mounting.
In June, pop star Ariana Grande strongly protested with a profanity-laced comment after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) used her song "Bye" in a promotional video about immigration crackdowns, saying, "Do not ever use my music to support such violent, inhumane, and disgusting things."
Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and the rock band Semisonic have also publicly criticized the Trump administration for using their songs without permission in ICE promotional videos.

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