Katy Perry has accused the White House of using her 2010 hit song “Firework” in a TikTok post depicting footage of a military attack. The video, posted to the White House’s official TikTok account on Thursday, overlaps the song’s lyrics, “Boom, boom, boom,” with a clip of a bomb explosion, with the caption, “Iran has been warned.”
“I am extremely appalled and outraged to see ‘Firework’ being used as a backtrack to video footage of a military attack on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account,” Perry wrote in an X post Saturday morning. “I didn’t approve of this, I wasn’t asked, and I will never forgive it.”
“I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for those going through their darkest personal moments,” she continued. “Seeing messages of self-respect and upliftment weaponized into a soundtrack of destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my songs stand for. My music is about bringing people together, not celebrating war.”
The White House’s post comes as the Trump administration appears to be pausing any major escalation of threats against Iran while negotiations continue, although the U.S. military remains poised for further attacks. President Trump said Washington was “well prepared” but “in no hurry” and claimed that Iran was becoming more serious about a potential deal. At the same time, U.S. Central Command continues to strike Iranian missile, maritime, and nuclear targets.
Perry is one of a number of artists who are fighting back against the Trump administration, accusing their songs of being used without permission not only at campaign rallies but also in politically charged and often violent videos. In June, Ariana Grande accused the White House of using a version of her 2024 song “Bye” in a TikTok post depicting ICE agents arresting and handcuffing people. Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Celine Dion, Neil Young and the Rolling Stones have also criticized Trump for using their songs to rally support for causes with which they disagree.
