Zara Larsson has spoken out after the White House used her song 'Midnight Sun' in a TikTok video showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests. The post paired the Swedish pop star's music with footage of immigration enforcement, prompting Larsson to share an emotional response online.
The singer said she was tagged in the video and immediately understood why people thought she would be angry. But, as she explained in her response, her first reaction was sadness. Larsson also used the controversy to talk about undocumented immigrants and how circumstances can shape the opportunities people get in life.
Zara Larsson Takes Aim at ICE Video
'I'm just really sad,' Larsson said in her response, adding that 'my heart's heavy' after watching the video.
She said she wished she could speak to whoever created the post and remind them that people are not necessarily so different from one another. Larsson pointed to her own upbringing in Sweden, saying she feels 'so lucky' to have had healthcare, education, the ability to travel and other opportunities available to her.
Larsson then turned her attention to undocumented immigrants, saying many are ordinary people working and trying to build better lives for themselves and their families.
'The biggest difference between us is that we were dealt a different hand in life,' she said.
She also took issue with the tone of the ICE video, calling it 'so dehumanising'. The singer pointed out that the people shown were real people, including someone wearing construction clothing, and questioned why the situation had been turned into a meme-style video.
The choice of 'Midnight Sun' particularly bothered her. Larsson explained that the song is about feeling connected to nature, the universe and other people, which she felt was at odds with footage that she believed created division.
'It's just so f*cking uncool,' she said before ending her response with a blunt assessment of those behind the post.
The 'Midnight Sun' background has since been removed from the ICE video, although the video remains online without the song.
@zaralarsson #stitch with @The White House
♬ original sound - Zara Larsson
Previous ICE Comments
Larsson has previously made her views on ICE clear. In January, she posted a list of things she loved, including immigrants, before ending with: 'I f*cking hate ICE'.
The White House appeared to respond days later with a TikTok featuring Donald Trump dancing to Larsson's 'Lush Life'. The post included references to deportations and ICE.
The latest dispute brings that issue back into focus, this time through another of Larsson's songs. While she said she understood that people could debate immigration policy, she argued that the ICE video went beyond that debate. Her criticism centred on how real people were portrayed and the contrast between the footage and a song about feeling connected to nature, the universe and other people.
The White House's Music Row
Zara Larsson is not the first musician to object to the White House using their music in immigration-related social media posts.
In November 2025, Olivia Rodrigo criticised the use of her song 'All-American B*tch' in an ICE-related video. She later described the footage as 'deeply disturbing' and said she was 'enraged' by seeing her music used in that context.
The following month, Sabrina Carpenter's Juno appeared in a White House video showing ICE agents detaining people. Carpenter called the post 'evil and disgusting' and asked the White House not to involve her music with what she described as its 'inhumane agenda'.
SZA's Big Boy was also featured in a White House ICE post in December. The caption referenced 'cuffing szn', while SZA responded on social media by calling the post 'Evil n Boring' and criticised what she described as 'inhumanity'.
More recently, in July, Bad Bunny's 'La Mudanza' was used in a White House TikTok featuring Trump and immigration-related footage. However, unlike the other artists, he did not publicly address the video, although the song was later removed from the post.
