Artists vs. ICE Music
Olivia Rodrigo condemns ICE for using her song to promote 'awful' deportations
Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo said she was enraged after discovering that Trump administration immigration authorities, in a White House/DHS social media video, used her song “All-American Bitch” to promote ICE deportations and urged people to “leave now” via the CBP Home app. She called the music’s use deeply disturbing propaganda and said the deportations are “awful,” “barbaric,” and “cruel,” reiterating that she finds both the actions and the lack of empathy unacceptable. Rodrigo has previously posted on Instagram telling officials not to use her songs to promote “racist, hateful propaganda,” and she said the administration has since removed or limited the audio. DHS officials pushed back by urging her to thank law enforcement rather than “belittle” their work and describing their role as keeping the country safe. The incident is part of a broader backlash from artists who say their music has been used without consent, including complaints from Sabrina Carpenter and Kenny Loggins, and it comes as Rodrigo prepares to release her third studio album on June 12 and embark on an upcoming North American tour.
Key Points
Rodrigo added a personal note on Instagram tying her opposition to the lived impact on immigrants in Los Angeles, writing: “I have lived in LA my whole life… I am deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbours… LA simply would not exist without immigrants. Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful.”
The DHS/White House post included a specific directive in its caption—“LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app. If you don’t, you will face the consequences”—as the video showed agents detaining people while the music played in the background.
In the same Dazed/Billboard coverage, Rodrigo said she’s not formally trained in politics but believes artists should share their feelings, stating: “part of being an artist is sharing how you feel with other people,” adding, “I don’t have a political science degree.”
Other artists’ objections included direct demands to remove unauthorized music: Sabrina Carpenter called the pro-ICE use of her song “evil and disgusting” and said, “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” while Kenny Loggins said in a statement that the use of “Danger Zone” was “unauthorized,” that “Nobody asked me for my permission,” and he requested the recording be removed immediately.
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