Taylor Swift announces new single 'Patient Zero'

22 September 2026, 19:14 | Updated: 22 September 2026, 19:35

By Katie Louise Smith

Taylor Swift's 'Patient Zero' will be released on Friday 25th September — but is it linked to her The Life of a Showgirl era or a brand new one?

She's baaack... Taylor Swift just confirmed the release of a brand new track called 'Patient Zero'... and it's out this Friday!

Almost one year since the release of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, and following 'I Knew It, I Knew You' from Toy Story 5, Taylor is blessing us with brand new music once again.

Earlier today, Taylor began teasing something on her Instagram page and within the lyrics to 'The Life of a Showgirl' on Apple Music by changing all the Os to 0s. On top of that, she's now changed her glittery orange Showgirl font to glittery silver. Swifties also sleuthed that one of her Law & Order sketch easter eggs from the Emmys combined with a new easter egg on her website may have pointed to an 'encore' release.

But is 'Patient Zero' actually connected to The Life of a Showgirl era? Or are we entering a brand new one? Here's what we know so far.

• Read more: When does 'Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)' come out? All the 'Debut (Taylor's Version)' details

Is Taylor Swift releasing a deluxe version of The Life of a Showgirl?

Well, we don't quite know yet! Taylor hasn't confirmed anything... But 'Patient Zero' *does* seem to be connected to the Showgirl era.

On her official website, The Life of a Showgirl logo is featured underneath each CD on the product page. The new song was also teased with a red Showgirl-esque curtain countdown on her website and the CDs feature the same glittery stripe as seen on The Life of a Showgirl CDs.

Taylor's tweet also includes 12 exclamation marks, hinting that it's still very much connected to the Showgirl era.

Interestingly enough, Taylor previously said there would be no bonus tracks for The Life of a Showgirl. When Taylor announced the album on the New Heights podcast with husband Travis Kelce, Taylor revealed that there were "no other songs coming".

Explaining why she'd opted not to add more, she said: "With The Tortured Poets Department, I was like here is a data dump of everything I've thought, felt, experienced in two or three years. Here's 31 songs. This is 12."

"There's not a 13th, there's not other ones coming. This is the record I've been wanting to make for a very long time."

We'll have to wait and see whether or not she's changed her mind! Until then, we're just excited to hear new music!

Read more about Taylor Swift here:

• EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Swift reveals her own favourite song on The Life of a Showgirl
• Taylor Swift responds to 'The Life of a Showgirl' criticism
• Read Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl' prologue poem in full here
• EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Swift gushes over the UK and how it inspired 'The Life of a Showgirl'
• Taylor Swift's emotional wedding vows to Travis Kelce revealed

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