“Thank you, SZA, for drawing even more attention”- White House responds after singer slams use of her song in pro-ICE ad as “evil” and “boring”

SZA recently slammed the White House for using her song Big Boy as part of its Pro- ICE ad. The ad in question promotes the controversial actions of ICE with the tune of the song, with the social media post in question having the following caption:

"We heard it’s cuffing szn. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America."

Soon after the ad was posted, the singer wasted no time in slamming it, stating in her response:

"White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK ..inhumanity +shock and aw tactics. Evil n Boring."

SZA was not the only one to respond negatively to the ad, with the singer's manager, Punch also speaking out against it:

"Trying to provoke [artists] to respond in order to help spread propaganda and political agendas is nasty business. Knock it off."

Now, the White House has responded to SZA's response to the ad, with White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Variety:

"Thank you, SZA, for drawing even more attention to the tremendous work America’s ICE officers are doing by arresting dangerous criminal illegal aliens from American communities."

SZA became the latest artist who's music was used by the White House in its pro-ICE ads without her consent. Other artists who have had their music used by ICE and DHS include Sabrina Carpenter, Jay-Z, Olivia Rodrigo, MGMT and more, as per Jay-Z.

Sabrina Carpenter previously spoke out against the usage of her song Juno in a pro ICE ad without her consent, stating:

"This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda."

Alongside the above mentioned artists, other names have also come up. The White House has also used the Pokemon song in its advertisement of an ICE arrest. Pokemon did not grant permission for using said song, with the company stating in a press release to BBC:

"We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand. Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property."

There's also comedian Theo Von, who has protested against the usage of one of his clip in an ICE deportation video. Singer Jess Glynne also spoke out against the usage of a Jet2holiday advert featuring her song for promotion of deportations.

SZA wrote Big Boy for SNL

SZA wrote Big Boy for a SNL comedy sketch that was pre-taped. The song was recorded as a celebration of stout men and also as a reference to the phenomenon of the cuffing season i.e., the search of romantic partners for short term to keep one warm in the winter months.

SZA

@sza

White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK ..inhumanity +shock and aw tactics ..Evil n Boring

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Cuffing season is explained by experts as the phenomenon where single people wishing not to go out in the cold months, get 'cuffed' to a partner to spend time indoors with in those months. The Cuffing season typically manifests from November to February, the peak winter months in large parts of the world.

The song was first aired on December 3, 2022. The song was never released as a single but it did go viral on the social media after it was aired on SNL. SNL also used the song later in another episode of the same season.

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