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Katy Perry condemns White House for using 'Firework' in military strikes TikTok video
Singer says the 2010 hit was used without her permission and that its message was “weaponized” to soundtrack violence
- PUBLISHED: Sun 26 Jul 2026, 12:48 PM
- By:
- ANI
Singer-songwriter Katy Perry has condemned the White House for using her 2010 hit Firework in a TikTok video featuring footage of military strikes, saying the song was used without her permission and in a way that contradicts its intended message, according to Billboard.
The White House’s official TikTok account earlier this week shared a video synchronising the song’s “boom, boom, boom” lyrics with black-and-white footage of bombing. The post was captioned, “Iran has been warned,” according to the outlet.
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The 41-year-old singer responded on X, saying she was “deeply appalled and angry” over the unauthorised use of her music.
I am deeply appalled and angry to see âFireworkâ 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.
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 25, 2026
I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, andâ¦
“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,” Perry wrote.
She said she wrote Firework as “an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength” for people going through difficult moments, and criticised its use alongside footage of warfare.
“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,” she said.
Perry concluded her statement by reiterating the purpose behind her music.
“My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare,” she added.
Released as the third single from Perry’s 2010 album Teenage Dream, Firework became one of the singer’s signature songs, spending four non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Perry joins a growing list of artists who have criticised the Trump administration over the unauthorised use of their music in political videos and campaign-related content.
In June, Ariana Grande criticised the White House for using her 2024 song Bye in a TikTok video promoting ICE agents making arrests. Earlier this year, Kesha also objected after her song Blow was used without authorisation in a TikTok featuring fighter jets and military strike footage captioned “Lethality”, according to Billboard.