A rising number of musicians have publicly objected to White House's use of their songs in political events and promotional materials in recent years, demonstrating the ongoing tension at the junction of politics and popular music. The topic brings to light a complicated discussion about political messaging, artistic expression, and artists' rights to manage the use of their creations. While popular names like Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, and more have voiced their disapproval over unauthorized use of their creative works, the White House is still not ready to correct its ways.

Now, Katy Perry has joined the list to publicly denounce the White House for their unsolicited use of her 2010 hit single.

Following the use of her 2010 hit song 'Firework' as the soundtrack to a TikTok video depicting American military strikes on Iranian targets, Katy Perry slammed the White House. The artist described the song's usage in the video as a total betrayal of its original meaning and said she was never approached for permission.

“I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it,” said Perry in a statement through her X post.

After the White House released the video earlier this week, Katy Perry responded to the controversy on July 25 by posting a strongly worded statement on X. The video, which combined footage of military operations with one of the biggest pop anthems of the 2010s and was subtitled with a warning aimed at Iran, sparked a lot of backlash on the internet.

She went on to discuss the song's initial purpose in her X post, which became a worldwide hit once it was released on 'Teenage Dream' in 2010. She composed this song to serve as an anthem of inner strength, healing, and hope for those experiencing their most trying times. According to her, it completely violates all that her music stands for to see a message of self-worth and upliftment hijacked to soundtrack violence and destruction.

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As mentioned earlier, this is not an isolated incident, and White House has earlier tried to pull something similar with other artists.

After one of her songs appeared in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement film in late 2025, SZA accused the White House of utilizing musicians to promote political messages. Her critique was later addressed publicly by the White House. In another instance, after 'Juno' appeared in a pro-ICE video, Sabrina Carpenter denounced officials as well, calling the edit "evil and disgusting."

Something similar happened to Ariana Grande, too, where her music was used in a video endorsing ICE agents, which forced the artist to publicly criticize the act. Now, it is Katy Perry who has taken a stand for her work being used in a way that was never intended. Anyhow, this is not the only tiff she has had with the government in recent days. Regardless, a response is still awaited from the White House on the matter.

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