Representatives for Canadian singer Celine Dion said Saturday that the use of her 1990s hit “My Heart Will Go On” at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump was “unauthorized” and that she did not give her permission.
“And really, THAT song?” Dion’s reps brazenly asked in a statement posted to the singer’s social media accounts.
On Friday night, a video clip of Dion singing the theme song from the 1997 film “Titanic” was shown at a gathering in New York. Boseman, Montanaand has also been played at several previous Trump rallies.
According to the statement, her management team and record label Sony Music Entertainment Canada were “notified” on Saturday of “the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance and likeness of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump and JD Vance campaign rally in Montana.”
Representatives stressed that “this use is in no way authorized and Celine Dion does not endorse this 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 they all asked that Trump stop playing their music during the campaign, just like REM period 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 that give sports stadiums and other venues the right to play their music.
The 56-year-old Dion gave a surprising performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics two weeks ago, her first since 2020. In 2022, she announced that she had been diagnosed stiff person syndrome.
Kate Gibson and
contributed to this report.
