July 25, 2026, 9:44 p.mJuly 25, 2026, 9:44 p.m
Katy Perry: The singer does not agree with the use of her hit “Firework”.Image: keystone
The White House angered the superstar by adding a Katy Perry song to a TikTok clip. The US singer wrote on the X platform that she was horrified and angry that her song “Firework” was used as background music for recordings of military strikes. “I didn’t agree to it, I wasn’t asked, and I absolutely don’t approve of it.” Their music is there to bring people together – not to glorify war.
On the White House TikTok account, the clip shows footage of an explosion accompanied by a sequence of the pop song. The White House wrote: “Iran has been warned.”
Perry wrote in her X post that she wrote the song as an anthem of hope, healing and inner strength for people experiencing their darkest personal moments. The 41-year-old criticized the White House’s actions as a complete betrayal of everything the song stands for.
White House already used music by Sabrina Carpenter
The US government has drawn criticism from musicians several times in the past after their music was used for social media clips. Last December, the White House added a song by Sabrina Carpenter to a video showing the arrest of migrants. The singer was angry and described the clip as “vicious and disgusting”. (sda/dpa)