Carlos Santana has taken to social media to praise Beyonce after copping a backlash over comments he made about Adele's Grammy wins.
The Mexican-American musician said on Tuesday that Adele deserved to win five Grammys at this year's ceremony, including the coveted album of the year gong for her album 25, despite criticism by Beyonce fans who believe she should have won the award for her politically charged album Lemonade.
READ MORE:
• No Valentine? No problem for these stars
• Shortland Street's epic 'penis' cliffhanger goes viral
"I think that Adele won because she can sing, sing," and "Beyonce is...not a singer, singer," Santana told AAP on Tuesday.
The comments created a buzz among Beyonce's army of fans, otherwise known as the Beyhive, who jumped to her defence on social media.
The backlash was so fast and furious, it prompted Santana to "clarify" matters and praise Beyonce on his Facebook page.
"I would like to clarify a comment that was reported when I was doing an interview for some upcoming shows in Australia & New Zealand. My intent was to congratulate Adele on her amazing night at the Grammies (sic)," Santana posted.
"My comment about Beyonce was regretfully taken out of context. I have the utmost respect for her as an artist and a person. She deserves all the accolades that come her way. I wish Beyonce and her family all the best," he wrote.
During the original interview with AAP, Santana said: "With all respect to our sister Beyonce, Beyonce is very beautiful to look at and it's more like modelling kind of music - music to model a dress - she's not a singer, singer, with all respect to her," he said.
Santana, who has 13 Grammy Awards, explained further why he felt the British singer deserved the accolades, with a particular focus on her stripped-back style.
"Adele can sing, sing. She doesn't bring all the dancers and props. She can just stand there and she just stood there and sang the song and that's it, and this is why she wins."