Why is Beyoncé re-recording Renaissance lyrics?

Beyoncé has sparked controversy with her choice of words in some lyrics on her new Renaissance album and is now set to re-record parts of one particular song. 

The singer-songwriter who made a comeback this year with her seventh solo album B7 has now made headlines for the wrong reasons with complaints flooding in far and wide over the use of an ableist slur in one of her new songs. 

Why is Beyoncé re-recording Renaissance lyrics?

Beyoncé is re-recording some lyrics on her new album Renaissance following a backlash from fans around the world who criticised her for using a ableist slur in her songs. Her latest track Heated features a derogatory term often used to demean people with disabilities. 

The track Heated was co-written by Canadian star Drake, but its lyrics have caused offence and disability advocates have spoken out to condemn its use - just weeks after Lizzo apologised for using the same word in her song GRRRLS.

One epilepsy campaigner tweeted, "What was the point of Lizzo changing her lyrics if Beyoncé could just casually drop a song that has the same exact words in it?"

Disability advocate Hannah Diviney told the BBC, "I'm tired and frustrated that we're having this conversation again so soon after we got such a meaningful and progressive response from Lizzo."

And charities like Scope have pushed for the artist to re-record the song. 

"Words matter because they reinforce the negative attitudes disabled people face every day," said media manager Warren Kirwan.

"Beyoncé has long been a champion of inclusivity and equality, so we'd urge her to remove this offensive lyric."

But some fans defended its use, claiming the insult has a different connotations in America but @theblackgirlwarrior pointed out on her TikTok, "The s-word will forever be harmful to people in the disability community... that's not going away."

Another fan said, "Language is such a complex thing and words can validly mean different things to different people, but I don't see why any artist would use a word in their song that causes so much upset to millions worldwide."

Beyoncé released a teaser clip to promote her new album, which is expected to storm the charts this week.

What does the Beyoncé offensive lyrics mean in USA?

The offensive lyric Beyoncé chose to feature in her track Heated in the verb form in the USA, it can mean losing physical control or simply acting "weird" or "uncool". Some fans have spoken out to defend the singer's choice of words. But Beyonce has since confirmed she is to re-record the lyrics.

Her publicist told the BBC, the word, which can have different connotations in the US, was "not used intentionally in a harmful way" and confirmed it "will be replaced in the lyrics", they added, without giving a timescale.