Pop star Katy Perry spoke out on Saturday after the official Washington Post TikTok account used her 2010 hit song “Firework” as a backing track for footage showing U.S. military strikes in Iran. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the short video was posted on Thursday and featured clips of bombs exploding timed to the lyrics boom, boom, boom,
accompanied by the caption Iran has been warned.
Katy Perry Slams White House Over TikTok Video Using Firework
Perry took to X on Saturday morning to share a statement expressing her strong opposition to the post. As reported by The Daily Beast, the singer stated that she was deeply appalled and angry
and clarified that she did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.
She explained that the track from her Grammy-nominated album Teenage Dream was written as an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength.
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,
Perry wrote, as noted by USA Today. She added that her music is intended to bring people together rather than celebrate warfare.
Military Context and Administration Stance
The controversial social media post arrived amid an ongoing military campaign by the U.S. government against Iran. According to USA Today, U.S. Central Command confirmed that the U.S. military launched a 13th consecutive night of strikes aimed at holding Iran accountable and diminishing threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping.
President Donald Trump has continued to defend the bombing campaign despite congressional pushback. USA Today reported that the House voted 214-208 to end the war, while the Senate sided with the president in a 49-47 vote. During an event at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., Trump defended the actions, stating that the administration must do what it came to do to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Additionally, Deadline noted that when asked at a press briefing about questions regarding potential strikes on civilian power plants and bridges, Trump declined to respond directly to the reporter.
Broader Pattern of Artist Backlash
Perry’s condemnation is part of a wider trend of musicians objecting to the Trump administration’s use of their copyrighted work in political and government social media content. According to Thewrap, artists including Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Kesha, Olivia Rodrigo, Celine Dion, and Kenny Loggins have previously criticized the administration for using their songs without authorization.
In June, Ariana Grande publicly criticized a White House TikTok video that used her song “Bye” to promote the Secure America Act, calling the post barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,
as reported by Deadline. Other artists such as Kesha, who condemned the use of her song “Blow” in March alongside footage of fighter jets, have similarly voiced frustration over their music being utilized in government messaging related to military force and enforcement operations.