Taylor Swift has announced The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore, an expanded edition of her 2025 album featuring four new songs, including the previously announced single “Patient Zero”, which will be released on Friday 25 September 2026. The new tracks were written after Swift travelled to Sweden with collaborators Max Martin and Shellback following the original album’s release.
Taylor Swift announces four new songs
Swift first revealed “Patient Zero” on Tuesday 22 September, telling fans that the new single would arrive on 25 September and that limited-edition CDs would be available to pre-order for 24 hours.
“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.”
The announcement was followed a day later by confirmation that “Patient Zero” is part of The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore, which adds four tracks to the original 12-song album.
The four new songs are:
- “Patient Zero”
- “Cleveland!”
- “Pink Clouding”
- “Babylon”
Swift’s official website now lists the four songs as tracks 13 to 16 on The Life Of A Showgirl.
When is The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore released?
The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore and its four new songs will be released on Friday 25 September 2026. The release follows the original album, The Life Of A Showgirl, which arrived in October 2025.
Swift said the additional songs came from a return to the studio with Max Martin and Shellback after the original album was released.
“About a year ago, you guys did a truly unfathomable thing. Something that completely blew my mind… You gave The Life of a Showgirl the biggest first week for an album in history.”
She continued:
“I hope you love them, because they were born out of pure gratitude for your exuberance for and celebration of the album we made.”
The new material is therefore being presented as an encore to the original album rather than a completely separate studio project.
Patient Zero gets three limited-edition CD versions
Swift’s official store offered three collectible CD editions of “Patient Zero”, comprising the original version, an acoustic version and a piano version.
The CDs were priced at $3.99 each in the US and featured different collectible covers. The official store stated that the editions were available for a limited 24-hour period and were restricted to US customers.
The official UK and European stores also listed the three physical editions, although availability and pricing vary by territory.
The clues behind Patient Zero
Swift’s announcement followed a series of clues that sent fans looking for connections to The Life Of A Showgirl.
Before revealing the song, she changed several “o” characters in her Instagram biography to zeroes, reading:
“And, baby, that’s sh0w business f0r y0u.❤️🔥”
The “0” references appeared to point towards the title “Patient Zero”.
Other clues had already fuelled speculation about an expanded Showgirl release, including references to the word “encore” that fans identified in Swift’s recent appearances and promotional material. Variety reported that the design of the “Patient Zero” CDs and the Swift store also connect the new single directly to the Showgirl era.
The confirmation of The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore now provides a clear explanation for at least some of those clues.
What is next for Taylor Swift?
Swift’s new release arrives during another major week for the singer, with the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards taking place on Sunday 27 September.
She is also set to receive the inaugural Artist Director Award at the VMAs, although her attendance at the ceremony has not been confirmed in the material currently available.
The release of The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore also puts to rest the immediate question of whether “Patient Zero” would be a standalone single. It is now confirmed as the first of four new songs extending the Showgirl album.
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