Larsson's objection to the White House video
Swedish pop star Zara Larsson has spoken out against the White House for incorporating her widely known song Midnight Sun into a social media reel. The clip, which appeared to show immigration enforcement raids, has since had the song removed, though the video itself is still accessible on the White House's TikTok account. The post carried a caption that played on Larsson's lyrics, turning the phrase never-ending midnight sun into never ending deportations.[S1]
In a three-minute reaction video shared on social media, Larsson described the White House clip as dehumanizing. She has now joined a growing group of singers, among them Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, who have asked the Trump administration to stop using their music. The BBC has reached out to the White House for a response.[S1]
Details of the video and Larsson's response
The reel combines several clips of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, along with other US law enforcement officers, handcuffing men and placing them into vehicles. Larsson reposted a portion of the original clip, which then transitions to a selfie video of her making an L shape with her fingers against her forehead. Her reaction video has already accumulated more than 4.2 million views on TikTok.[S1]
In that video, Larsson tells her followers that the White House's post is so dehumanizing. She emphasizes that the individuals shown are real people, and that the vast majority of undocumented people are ordinary individuals with jobs who are simply seeking a better future. She also expresses disbelief at how everything has become memefied and treated in a ha-ha-ha manner, accusing the White House of using her song to create division, even though she says the lyrics are about a connection between people and nature.[S1]
A pattern of artists pushing back
Larsson had previously spoken out against a clip that paired her popular track Lush Life with images of President Donald Trump dancing at assorted gatherings. On multiple occasions, White House social media accounts have had to pull songs once the artists objected. In August, Taylor Swift's song August was removed from a reel the Trump administration had shared, and a track by Olivia Rodrigo was deleted from a video after she called its usage hateful propaganda. Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande likewise cautioned the administration in separate episodes about featuring their music in posts.[S1]
