‘I am deeply appalled and angry’

Katy Perry condemns White House for using Firework in military strikes video

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.

Earlier this week, the White House’s official TikTok account 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,” the outlet reported.

The 41-year-old singer took to X to criticise the Trump administration for featuring the anthem in a White House TikTok post showing military strike footage.

Reacting to the video, Perry said she was “deeply appalled and angry” over the unauthorised use of her music.

“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.

The singer said she wrote Firework as “an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength” for people facing difficult moments in their lives 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 weaponised 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.