Katy Perry criticizes White House for using ‘Firework’ in military TikTok video

Pop star Katy Perry criticized the White House on Saturday for using her 2010 hit song ‘Firework’ in a TikTok video without her consent. The video, posted Thursday on the White House’s TikTok account, showed footage of recent military strikes on Iranian targets and included the song’s lyrics, ‘boom, boom, boom.’

Perry, who sold her music catalog in September for an estimated $225 million, said she was shocked by the use of her song. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, she wrote she did not approve the clip and emphasized the song’s message of hope and self-worth. “I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments,” she said. “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.”

The White House responded by sharing a montage of clips from Perry’s 2012 music video for ‘Part of Me,’ which shows her joining the U.S. Marines. Deputy Assistant to the President Kaelan Dorr questioned Perry’s stance with a post that included the video. “This you?” Dorr asked.

Perry’s music catalog includes hits like ‘I Kissed A Girl,’ ‘Hot N’ Cold,’ ‘Roar,’ and ‘Dark Horse.’ Her song ‘Firework’ topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and helped her album ‘Teenage Dream’ tie Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ for the most number-one singles from a single album. The catalog sale also included rights to her other major hits.

This is not the first time artists have publicly objected to the White House using their music. Other musicians, including Ariana Grande, Kesha, and Bruce Springsteen, have expressed similar concerns over their songs being used in political or military contexts without permission.

Source: Original Article