Katy Perry has criticised the White House for using her 2010 hit "Firework" in a TikTok video without her permission, despite the singer having sold the majority of her music catalogue years earlier in a deal reportedly worth $225 million. The dispute highlights a common tension in the music industry, where artists who sell their song rights lose control over how those songs are subsequently licensed or used, even though the public may still associate the music personally with them.

The video in question reportedly used the song in connection with coverage of a US strike on Iran, prompting Perry to speak out against the White House's use of the track. Because Perry no longer owns the bulk of the rights to her catalogue following the reported $225 million sale, the decision to licence or approve the song's use would not have required her personal consent, underscoring the gap between an artist's public image and their legal control over their own work.