Taylor Swift Announces New Single, ‘Patient Zero,’ Coming This Week

Taylor Swift‘s big news, at least for the moment, has turned out to be a new single, “Patient Zero,” coming out Friday, with few other details announced. “I’ve been impatiently waiting to tell you that my brand new single ‘Patient Zero’ will be out on September 25 (!!!!!!!!!!!!) and it’s available to pre-order now on my website for 24 hours.” Her website is selling three limited edition CDs of the single, which will ship on Oct. 13. This seems unlikely to be the full extent of what Swift has in store for fans, but it’s a start. The single’s title was teased with clues that included the letter O in her Instagram bio description being changed to the numeral 0 in three spots. Popular on Variety Swifties are still on edge wondering whether there is more to come, and when. Speculation has run rampant for months that she would be putting out “Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version)” for the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album, but every indication is that this new single has nothing to do with that. Rumors had switched to the idea that she might be putting out an expanded or deluxe edition of 2025’s “The Life of a Showgirl,” despite her declaration at the time that the album would not have bonus tracks beyond the 12 tracks that were part of the package. “Patient Zero” may or may not be tied back to the “Life of a Showgirl” era. But for those who believe it is, there is at least one clue that leads in that direction, and possibly promises more to come: Easter eggs that result in an emphasis on the word “encore.” Swift participated in a pre-taped Emmys sketch, which had the singer appearing with her cat, Olivia Benson, and the inspiration for the pet’s name, Emmys host Mariska Hargitay. In the skit, Hargitay said, “In order to crack a Swiftie case, you gotta think like a Swiftie because the Swifties think that everything is a clue to what she’ll do next.” Swift, in character as a fellow detective, said, “I think what we’re going to be looking for is hiding in plain sight.” She then stared into the camera and uttered several seeming nonsense phrases or words: “Saccharide. Aries. From the vineyard. North or south.” Then, questioned by Hargitay about the bizarre conversational detour, she deadpanned: “I didn’t say anything.” It turns out that when you look at the third letter in each of those phrases, it produces a letter that, put together, spells the word encore. Which, to some Swifties, suggests that the showgirl has not yet hung up her headdress.