Taylor Swift is already breaking Spotify records with “Patient Zero,” which has become the most-streamed song by a female artist in a single day in 2026. With hours still remaining in the tracking period, Taylor Swift has also become the most-streamed female artist in a single day on Spotify this year, with full streaming figures expected to be revealed September 26.
The record arrives just hours after The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore landed as a four-song expansion of Swift’s 2025 album. The release immediately dominated other major streaming and digital platforms, establishing “Patient Zero” as the central song of the new chapter.
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On iTunes, The Encore opened at No. 1 in the U.S. within minutes of release, while “Patient Zero” also reached the top spot almost immediately. The song replaced Swift’s own “The Fate of Ophelia” at No. 1, extending her remarkable history on the platform to 82 No. 1 songs — the most of any artist in U.S. iTunes history.
Apple Music delivered another snapshot of the release’s immediate impact. Taylor Swift occupied the entire top four on the U.S. Apple Music chart with all four songs from The Encore: “Patient Zero” at No. 1, followed by “Cleveland!” at No. 2, “Pink Clouding” at No. 3 and “Babylon” at No. 4.
The four-song project expands The Life of a Showgirl with material created during another collaboration between Taylor Swift, Max Martin and Shellback. Roughly a year after the original album produced the biggest first week for an album in history, Swift traveled to Sweden with the longtime collaborators to celebrate its success. What began as a return trip ultimately became another studio session, resulting in the four songs now presented as The Encore.
“Patient Zero” leads the release and is also receiving an unusually cinematic rollout. Taylor Swift has previewed the song’s upcoming music video with a teaser starring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson, moving through locations including a stark bathroom, an underwater sequence and a snowy cemetery.
The visual’s full premiere is scheduled for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on September 27.
Photo: Taylor Swift
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