Taylor Swift has announced “Patient Zero,” a new single due out this Friday, September 25th. Limited CD pre-orders featuring acoustic and piano versions of the track are available for the next 24 hours via Swift’s website.
In an Instagram post, Swift said she had been “impatiently waiting” to tell fans about the track, which marks her first new single since “I Knew It, I Knew You,” her contribution to the Toy Story 5 soundtrack co-written and produced with Jack Antonoff.
Swift delivered the announcement after launching a website countdown today, September 22nd, which ended at 2:00 p.m. ET. She also teased the song by replacing all the letter O’s in her social media bios with zeros. “And, baby, that’s sh0w business f0r y0u,” they now read.
Perhaps Swift will debut “Patient Zero” at the 2026 MTV VMAs, where she will receive the newly unveiled Artist Director Honor this Sunday, September 27th. Her most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl, is also up for Best Album at the show.
Revisit our review of The Life of a Showgirl, in which Wren Graves concludes that Swift “can’t quite commit” to its promise of vulnerability.
Earlier this month, Swift made an appearance in a pre-taped Emmys sketch alongside host Mariska Hargitay.
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