Beyoncé will remove a lyric from a song on her new album Renaissance, a representative for the musician confirmed, following criticism from disability advocates that the track contained an "ableist slur".
In the song Heated, the singer uses the word "spaz" multiple times, which is considered a derogatory reference to the medical term spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy.
In a statement to Insider, a representative said the lyric would be changed.
"The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced," the statement said.
In the song, co-written by Drake, Beyoncé sings: “Spazzin’ on that ass, spazz on that ass.”
In June, American singer Lizzo faced backlash for including the same word in her new single Grrls.
The singer faced heavy criticism online, including a viral tweet from Australian disability activist Hannah Diviney.
Ms Diviney, who lives with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, contacted Lizzo on Twitter to say the word used in the song made her feel "pretty angry [and] sad".
Lizzo was quick to change the lyrics, writing on her Instagram page that she did not want to promote derogatory language.
"As an influential artist, I'm dedicated to being part of the change I've been waiting to see in the world," she wrote.
Ms Diviney said that while she was "blown away" by Lizzo's response, seeing another artist make the same mistake just two weeks later was like "a slap in the face".
"Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo," she wrote.
"Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music."
ABC
