Rock legends ‘boycotted’ ‘Melania’ soundtrack? Director reveals one said 'would never want his song associated with Donald Trump'

The soundtrack for Melania has drawn almost as much attention as the film itself, not for what it includes, but for what it doesn’t.

In an interview with Variety, producer Marc Beckman, who also serves as an advisor to Melania Trump, said several major artists declined requests to license their music for the documentary. According to Beckman, the refusals were politically motivated.

Guns N’ Roses and Grace Jones decline

Beckman told Variety that the team had hoped to secure a song from Guns N' Roses, but internal disagreement within the band derailed the effort.

"There was music that we tried to get, but sadly, there were politics to it," the producer said. "For example, the guys from Guns N' Roses split down the middle politically. There was a beautiful song we wanted to use, and one of the guys, I don't want to name, it's not fair, said, 'You got it. Go.' And the other one, was basically like, 'There's just no way.'"

Because the band requires unanimous approval for licensing decisions, the split vote meant the track could not be used.

"So Guns N' Roses was definitely a disappointment for us; we all have a lot of respect for Guns N' Roses," Beckman added.

He also said that Grace Jones declined a request to use one of her songs.

"There was a song that we wanted to use from Grace Jones; obviously, also a tremendous amount of respect for her," Beckman said. "She apparently couldn't get over the political hurdle, notwithstanding the fact that the film is not a political film. So that was disappointing, too. It's disappointing when people put politics so far ahead, and that happened a little bit with the film, for sure."

Prince estate blocks last-minute deal

Beckman further claimed that the film came close to licensing a track from Prince before the late musician’s estate intervened.

"We were ready to go, and this lawyer that manages the estate was like, 'Prince would never want his song associated with Donald Trump,'" he recalled. "And we're like, 'But it's not a Donald Trump film! He comes into the movie once in a while, but this is all about Melania. It's not political.' And that guy blocked it. It's so ridiculous."

The documentary follows Melania Trump in the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration in early 2025.

Radiohead dispute resurfaces

The project had already faced scrutiny after Jonny Greenwood and filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson publicly objected to the use of a soundtrack cue from their 2017 film Phantom Thread. Greenwood, a member of Radiohead, and Anderson released a statement condemning the documentary’s use of the music.

Beckman responded again in his Variety interview.

"It's funny, Radiohead is one of my all-time favorite bands. For them to have come out publicly and distanced themselves, I think that's just part of the unfortunate time we're living in," he said. "We went out and created a nice film that doesn't get into any kind of political policy or anything like that. The music at that moment is so perfect, honestly, I was so thrilled to be able to use it."

He continued, "If they're trying to distance themselves from us, for political reasons, that's just unfortunate. But, honestly, I'll still remain a fan and listen to their music every single day."

The documentary marks the first directorial project from Brett Ratner since multiple women accused him of sexual assault in 2017, allegations he has denied. According to reports cited by Variety, the film has earned approximately $16 million worldwide to date. Amazon MGM Studios paid $75 million to acquire and promote the project.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”