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Kesha Calls Out White House for Using “Blow” in War Post. The Song Is Now Muted.
“I absolutely do NOT approve of my music being used to promote violence of any kind.”
By: T.O.P News
Published: March 10, 2026
Kesha spoke out after the White House used her 2010 hit Blow in a TikTok video posted on February 10.
Here’s what she had to say about it on X:
“It’s come to my attention that The White House has used one of my songs on TikTok to incite violence and threaten war. Trying to make light of war is disgusting and inhumane. I absolutely do NOT approve of my music being used to promote violence of any kind. Love always trumps hate. Please love yourself and each other in times like this. This show of blatant disregard for human life, and quite frankly, this attack on all of our nervous systems, is the opposite of what I stand for.
Also, don’t let this distract us from the fact that criminal predator Donald Trump appears in the Files over a million times.”
The White House has not publicly responded to the criticism, but the song has since been muted on the TikTok post. Below is the video where the song was originally used.
Situations like this often raise a common question. Can artists stop their music from being used in political content? The answer is complicated.
Normally, when someone wants to use a song in a video, advertisement, or film, they must get permission from the copyright owners. This is called a music license. But social media has made things more complicated.
Platforms like TikTok have agreements with record labels that allow songs to be included in their music libraries. That allows everyday users to add popular songs to their videos without negotiating directly with the artist or the label. However, that system can also lead to situations where songs end up attached to videos the artists or music creators never intended to be associated with.
The issue becomes even more sensitive when the account using the music represents a large institution, such as a corporation, a political campaign, or a government office. In recent years, record labels have increasingly pushed back when major brands use music in social media posts to promote their businesses without proper licensing. Companies, including Crumbl Cookies and DSW, have faced lawsuits from record labels after allegedly using popular songs in promotional TikTok and Instagram posts without permission.
The argument from the music industry is straightforward. If a company is using a song to promote a brand or reach millions of people online, it should not rely on the same music permissions that apply to everyday users. Instead, labels argue that companies should negotiate and pay for a proper license.
As governments, political campaigns, and brands increasingly rely on social media platforms to communicate with the public, disputes like this are becoming more common. And as those platforms blur the line between casual posts and large-scale messaging, artists like Kesha are reminding audiences that just because a song appears in a video does not mean the creator approved of it.