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Beyonc\u00e9 is to re-record one of the songs on her new album, after facing criticism from disability campaigners.<\/p>\n
The song Heated, which was released on Friday, contained a derogatory term that has often been used to demean people with spastic cerebral palsy.<\/p>\n
The star\u2019s publicist told the BBC the word, which can have different connotations in the US, was \u201cnot used intentionally in a harmful way\u201d.<\/p>\n
It \u201cwill be replaced in the lyrics\u201d, they added, without giving a timescale.<\/p>\n
The backlash came just a couple of weeks after US pop star Lizzo apologised for using the same word in her song GRRRLS.<\/p>\n
Within days, she apologised and re-released the song, omitting the offensive lyric.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language,\u201d she wrote in a statement posted to social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a fat black woman in America, I\u2019ve had many hurtful words used against me so I understand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally).\u201d<\/p>\n
When fans heard Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s track on Friday, it felt \u201clike a slap in the face\u201d, disability advocate Hannah Diviney told the BBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired and frustrated that we\u2019re having this conversation again so soon after we got such a meaningful and progressive response from Lizzo\u201d.<\/p>\n
Disability charity Scope also asked Beyonc\u00e9 to re-record the song, omitting the insult.<\/p>\n
\u201cWords matter because they reinforce the negative attitudes disabled people face every day,\u201d said media manager Warren Kirwan.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeyonc\u00e9 has long been a champion of inclusivity and equality, so we\u2019d urge her to remove this offensive lyric.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other fans defended the star, pointing out that the term can have a different meaning in the US \u2013 where it is often used to mean \u201cfreaking out\u201d or \u201cgoing crazy\u201d (although those terms can themselves be insensitive to people with mental health conditions).<\/p>\n
Despite the controversy, Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s seventh studio album, Renaissance, is expected to top the charts around the world this week.<\/p>\n
In the UK, it is currently outselling the rest of the top five combined. The lead single, Break My Soul, is also expected to top the charts.<\/p>\n
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