Millions of people listen to pop star Beyoncé’s new album over and over again. But one song caused massive criticism: Many people with disabilities felt offended by “Heated”. The 40-year-old singer gives in. However, many of those affected remain frustrated.
Pop star Beyoncé has confirmed she’s dropping an offensive word for people with physical disabilities from her new album Renaissance. “The word will be replaced,” said a spokesman for the singer. “It was not intentionally used in a hurtful or derogatory manner.” Beyoncé herself has yet to comment.
In the song “Heated”, which Beyoncé wrote together with the Canadian singer Drake, the word “Spast” is used twice at the end, which is also often used pejoratively in Germany in connection with people suffering from a cerebral movement disorder. Hannah Diviney, who works for people with disabilities, and the charity Scope, among others, drew attention to the connection. They spoke of a “slap in the face” for having had the same discussion just a month ago, Diviney explained on the BBC.
The well-known US singer Lizzo also used the word in her song “Grrrls”. In mid-June, she explained that she changed her lyrics after being made aware of the meaning of the word. She clarified that she would never support “derogatory language”. As a “fat black woman in America” ??she has been insulted with so many “painful words” that she knows very well the power of such expressions.
That was a significant and progressive response from Lizzo, Diviney commented on the situation on the BBC. That’s why she’s “tired and frustrated that we’re having this conversation again so quickly.”
For pop star Beyoncé, it’s not the first criticism that her new album has triggered. Singer Kelis had previously accused her of stealing some of her music without being asked. In the song “Energy” Beyoncé uses a snippet of her song “Get Along With You”. In an Instagram video, Kelis angrily explains that she was not asked. “Why doesn’t anyone have the decency to call me and say, ‘Hey, we’d like to use your recording’?” she asks, among other things.
