Taylor Swift breaks Spotify record with surprise release ‘Patient Zero’

Taylor Swift has set another Spotify record following the surprise release of “Patient Zero”, one of four previously unreleased tracks featured on the expanded edition of her album “The Life of a Showgirl: Encore”.

According to Spotify, “Patient Zero” became the most-streamed song by a female artiste in a single day in 2026 so far. Swift also became the platform’s most-streamed female artiste in a single day this year.

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The four newly released tracks have since taken the top four positions on Spotify’s Top 50 – Global chart. “Patient Zero” leads with more than 13.7 million streams, followed by “Cleveland” with 9.6 million, “Pink Clouding” with 8.7 million and “Babylon” with 8.4 million.

The numbers could climb further following tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards, where Swift is set to premiere the full music video for “Patient Zero”. The ceremony will air on CBS and MTV and stream on Paramount+ Premium in the United States.

A teaser for the music video was released on Thursday (September 24), featuring appearances by Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson. The brief clip has already prompted speculation among fans over possible hidden references.

The speculation follows Swift’s recent appearance alongside Mariska Hargitay in a “Law & Order: SVU”-themed skit for the Emmy Awards. Several cryptic words spoken by Swift during the segment have since prompted fans to search for possible connections to her latest release.