The American government is no stranger to using popular artists to push along their paintings. And the artists usually benefit — Jackson Pollock wouldn’t have made it into nearly as many art galleries if not for government efforts in fighting the Cold War. But outside of washed-up musicians like Kid Rock, it has been hard to find musicians who will stand for having their music associated with abducting children and turning our government into a front for reality TV stars to siphon tax dollars into their bank accounts. The US Freedom 250 festival is the most obvious example of artists not having the time of day to mess with Trump, but this has been going on for years — and we’ve been gleefully cataloguing the growing number of musicians that go out of their way to opt out of being used for administration propaganda.
Here’s some great news: Ariana Grande joins the ranks. Reuters has coverage:
American pop star Ariana Grande told President Donald Trump‘s administration on Thursday to stop using her music to promote its policies. The comment came after the White House shared a video on TikTok earlier this week highlighting its immigration policy. The video, which depicts federal agents arresting and handcuffing people, features the Grammy Award-winning singer’s 2024 song “Bye.”
“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” Grande wrote in a comment posted on the White House video on TikTok on Thursday. A source close to the singer said her team is looking into how to remove the music from the video as soon as possible.
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If she turns that cease and desist letter into a song, it’ll go right next to “Thank U, Next” on my personal playlist. Speaking of playlists, ATL compiled a list of the songs artists have expressly told the administration not to play — and it’s full of bangers. Give it a listen as you rack up those billables:
On it you’ll find Grande’s “Bye,” along with The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” The star-studded cast of pop artists who’ve told the administration to lay off their tunes remains void of any Taylor Swift tracks. Not for lack of opportunity or anything; perhaps she’s still busy celebrating the most recent Knicks win? Either way, there are a bunch of artists with backbone and we’re happy to make listening to them a little easier.
Ariana Grande To White House: Don’t Use My Music For ‘Heinous Nonsense’ [Reuters]
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Earlier: You Could Make A Playlist Of All The Musicians Who Sued Trump For Playing Their Music
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boat builder who is learning to swim and is interested in rhetoric, Spinozists and humor. Getting back in to cycling wouldn’t hurt either. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by Tweet/Bluesky at @WritesForRent.