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Swedish pop star Zara Larsson has criticised the White House after her hit song "Midnight Sun" was used in a social media video showing immigration enforcement operations.
The song appeared in a video posted to the White House TikTok account featuring footage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other US law enforcement personnel detaining people and placing them into vehicles. The post carried the caption "never ending deportations," echoing the phrase "never-ending midnight sun" from Larsson's song.
The song was later removed from the post, although the video remained visible on the White House's TikTok feed, according to the information provided.
Larsson responded through a video of her own on social media, expressing strong disapproval of the way her music had been used. She described the video as "dehumanising" and argued that the people shown in the footage were real individuals rather than material for entertainment.
Her response quickly attracted significant attention online, with the reaction video receiving more than 4.2 million views on TikTok. Larsson also questioned the decision to pair her music with footage of immigration enforcement, noting that she views "Midnight Sun" as a song about connection between people, nature and the wider universe.
The dispute adds to a series of disagreements between musicians and the Trump administration over the use of popular songs in White House social media content. Larsson had previously criticised the administration after her song "Lush Life" was used in a video featuring President Donald Trump.
Other major artists have also objected to the use of their music. Taylor Swift's "August" was removed from a Trump administration social media reel, while Olivia Rodrigo criticised the use of one of her songs in another video. Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande have similarly asked the administration not to use their music in social media posts.
Larsson's latest reaction has once again highlighted the tension that can arise when popular music is incorporated into political or government communications without the artist publicly supporting the accompanying message.
The White House had not provided a response to the controversy at the time of the information supplied.
