At the end of the original version of Energy, the pop superstar sang a series of "las" to the tune of the 2003 R&B hit.

However, they no longer feature on the Spotify or YouTube versions of the track.

Beyonce's use of the song is an example of interpolation, where an artist uses a melody from a previously recorded track by rerecording the melody instead of directly sampling it.

Kelis reportedly described Milkshake's use as "theft" in an Instagram post from her official account.

It is the second time Beyonce has edited a track from her new album, Renaissance, which was released on Friday.

On Monday, she said she would remove an ableist slur from her song Heated after it prompted a backlash from some fans and a UK disability charity.

In a statement to the PA news agency, a spokesperson for Beyonce said: "The word, not used intentionally in a harmful manner, will be replaced in the lyrics."

The term is sometimes used to refer to individuals with cerebral palsy, a condition which affects sufferers' muscle co-ordination.

Before Beyonce's decision to replace the use of the offensive term, disability equality charity Scope spoke out against her use of the word, less than a month after it did the same for American singer-songwriter Lizzo.

Lizzo rereleased her song Grrrls with a "lyric change" and issued a statement apologising after facing criticism for her use of the same word.

Australian Associated Press