"My Heart Will Go On"? Celine Dion Slams Trump for Unauthorized Use of Titanic Tune

Canadian music icon Celine Dion has publicly rebuked and mocked the Donald Trump campaign for using her iconic hit song "My Heart Will Go On" without authorisation at a recent rally.

Dion, renowned for her heart-wrenching ballads and beloved by millions worldwide, issued a statement on Saturday, a day after Trump played a video clip of the song from the film *Titanic

at a campaign event in Bozeman, Montana.

The statement, published on X (formerly Twitter) and on Dion's Instagram account, which boasts over 8 million followers, read: "Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorised usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing 'My Heart Will Go On' at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana."

The statement continued, "In no way is this use authorised, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use. ... And really, THAT song?"

The song, featured in the 1997 Oscar-winning film about the 1912 sinking of the *Titanic*, explores themes of love, loss, and resilience, a far cry from the imagery of a large ship colliding with an iceberg.

The response on social media was largely mocking. "Perfect - because when your campaign's headed for an iceberg, you might as well set it to music," quipped user Marc Broklawski on X. NBC Universal executive Mike Sington wrote, "Is Trump's campaign being trolled from within?" While Antonio Cusano commented on Instagram, "For me it's perfect for the Tumptanic!"

However, some were disappointed in Dion, who previously declined to perform at Trump's inauguration in 2016. "Too bad for her - it would be a positive thing. Sadly she doesn't see it that way. I have been her fan for 30 years but I will have to respectfully disagree with her political beliefs," wrote Heidi Joy on Instagram.

This is not the first time a musician has pushed back against Trump using their music. In May 2023, Village People sent a cease-and-desist letter and threatened legal action after Trump used their song "Macho Man" and other hits without permission.

Karen Willis, the wife of Village People's lead singer Victor Willis, wrote in the letter: "Since that time we have been inundated with social media posts about the imitation performance [which] many fans, and the general public as well, mistakenly believe to be that of the actual VILLAGE PEOPLE in violation of the Lanham Act."

"Therefore, the performance has, and continues to cause public confusion as to why Village People would even engage in such a performance. We did not."

While many Trump supporters and observers have likely heard Trump using the band's song "YMCA" over the years, which Willis noted in the letter was previously "tolerated" by her husband and the band, as of May 2023, she said, "we cannot allow such use by him to cause public confusion as to endorsement."