Representatives for Canadian singer Celine Dion said Saturday that the use of her 1990s hit song “My Heart Will Go On” at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump was “unauthorized” and had not received her permission.
“And really, THIS song?” Dion’s representatives cheekily asked in a statement posted on the singer’s social media accounts.
A music video of Dion performing the theme song from the 1997 film “Titanic” was released Friday night at a rally in Boseman, Montanaand has also been played at several previous Trump rallies.
According to the statement, her management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, “became aware” on Saturday “of the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance and image of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana.”
The representatives stressed that “this use is in no way authorized and Celine Dion does not endorse this use or any similar use.”
Musicians asking Trump not to play their music at his rallies is not a new problem. During his first presidential campaign in 2016, The Rolling Stones, AdeleNeil Young and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith all asked Trump to stop playing their music during the election campaign, as did REM in 2020.
To comply with copyright law, political campaigns must obtain a public performance license from organizations such as Broadcast Music Inc. or the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Songwriters and record labels typically sign blanket licensing agreements granting stadiums and other venues the right to play their music.
Dion, 56, gave a surprise performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics two weeks ago, her first since 2020. She revealed in 2022 that she had been diagnosed stiff person syndrome.
Kate Gibson and
contributed to this report.
