Energy (Beyoncé song)

"Energy" is a song by American singer Beyoncé featuring Jamaican rapper Beam. It is the fifth track on the former's seventh studio album Renaissance (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood and Columbia. The song serves as an interlude between "Cuff It" and "Break My Soul".

Controversy
American singer and songwriter Kelis, whose 2003 single "Milkshake" was interpolated on "Energy", criticized Beyoncé for not notifying her in advance, calling its use a "theft" and saying that she felt "disrespect and utter ignorance" were displayed both by Beyoncé and by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes. Both Williams and Hugo were credited on "Energy" for writing and producing "Milkshake". The interpolation of "Milkshake" was later removed from the song on streaming services following Kelis' unhappiness about not being notified about the use of "Milkshake" in "Energy". Kelis subsequently stated that she was "actually [happy]" with that outcome. Other artists who were sampled on the album thanked Beyoncé for referencing their contributions, particularly emphasizing the album's role in honoring Black queer and trans culture. They include Ts Madison, whose viral video clip "Bitch, I'm Black" is sampled on "Cozy"; Robin S., whose 1990 house hit "Show Me Love" is credited on lead single "Break My Soul"; Kevin Aviance, whose song "Cunty" is sampled on "Pure/Honey"; and ballroom commentator Kevin JZ Prodigy, whose chants are borrowed from the 2009 DJ MikeQ track "Feels Like" on "Pure/Honey".

Critical reception
Pitchfork critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd wrote that lyrically the song is "minimal and onomatopoeic" and the words are "in service to the vibe, a melodic extension of percussion". Kyle Denis of Billboard found that it is "a support beam for neighboring songs, and still a grand ole time in its own right" thanks to "one of the most talked-about lyrics on the album" for the phrase "Cause them Karens just turned into terrorists". The Guardian writer Tara Joshi selected "Energy" as the example of the "flow as a continuous mix" of the album.

Commercial performance
After the release of Renaissance, "Energy" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 27 and on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 12.

Live performance
Beyoncé first performed "Energy" on the Renaissance World Tour (2023), with the opening night taking place in Stockholm, Sweden. The song was performed during the "Motherboard" act of the tour, following "Cuff It". The "Wetter" remix of "Cuff It" served as a transition between the two songs, with it being sung over the instrumental of "Energy", which included elements of "End of Time" and "Love You Down". Beyoncé's dancers are seen walking down in poses, before strutting down the catwalk towards the secondary stage. Before the chorus, when Beyoncé sings the lyric "look around, everybody on mute", the music goes silent for a couple seconds, leading fans to make a challenge to see which tour date's audiences could stay "on mute" the longest. This would be referred as the "mute challenge". At the end of the performance, the original interpolations of "Milkshake" are heard before the song seamlessly transitions into "Break My Soul" like it does on the album.

Samples

 * contains an interpolation of "Ooh La La La", written by Mary Brockert and Allen McGrier and performed by Teena Marie
 * contains a sample of "Explode", written by Freddie Ross and Adam Piggot and performed by Big Freedia.
 * contains an interpolation of "Milkshake", written by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo and performed by Kelis (later removed on digital and streaming versions).

Recording locations

 * The Juicy Juicy (Los Angeles, California)
 * Kings Landing West (Los Angeles, California)
 * Parkwood West (Los Angeles, California)

Personnel
Performers
 * Vocals by Beyoncé and Beam
 * Additional vocals by Big Freedia
 * Beam – drums
 * Al Cres – drums
 * NovaWav – additional synths
 * Skrillex – drums

Technical credits
 * Beam – production
 * Beyoncé – production, vocal production
 * Matheus Braz – assistant engineering
 * Chi Coney – engineering
 * Al Cres – production
 * John Cranfield – engineering
 * Brandon Harding – engineering
 * NovaWav – additional production
 * Andrea Roberts – engineering
 * Skrillex – production
 * Stuart White – mixing, recording