"Heated" is a song recorded by American singer

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

. It is the eleventh track on her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance'' (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood and

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Composition and lyrics

'' Pitchfork'' writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd described the song as an "a pulsing

afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...

track". Michaelangelo Matos of '' The New York Times'' described as a "neo-dancehall form over a slinky, wood-block-heavy groove". The song also features elements of

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...

music. "Heated" referred to Beyoncé's "Uncle" Jonny, her gay cousin who introduce the singer to post-1970s Black ball culture, dance music and club culture, concept of ''Renaissance.'' The song was considered a tribute to "Uncle" Jonny, who helped raise her until his death during the

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Controversy

The song was met with criticism online for its use of the word "

spaz In medicine, the adjective spastic refers to an alteration in muscle tone affected by the medical condition spasticity, which is a well-known symptomatic phenomenon seen in patients with a wide range of central neurological disorders, including s ...

" in its lyrics, which disability advocates said is an

ableist Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism (British English), anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities or who are perceived to be disabled. Ableism characteri ...

slur. Other users online said that "spaz" has a different meaning in African-American English and is synonymous with "freaking out". Beyoncé announced the following day that the word would be removed from the song, with the word soon being replaced with "blast".

Live performance

Beyoncé first performed "Heated" in

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on the opening night of the

Renaissance World Tour The Renaissance World Tour is the ongoing ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was announced on February 1, 2023, in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance'' (2022). The concert run began on May 10, 2023, at ...

, including it on the setlist for the duration of the tour.

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

Beyoncé songs 2022 songs Obscenity controversies in music Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Song recordings produced by Boi-1da Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Boi-1da Songs written by Drake (musician) Songs written by Sevn Thomas {{2020s-pop-song-stub