Taylor Swift premiered her Patient Zero video at the Video Music Awards
Taylor Swift premiered her music video for Patient Zero on September 27 at the Video Music Awards, starring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson. On September 25, the track drew 13,709,109 Spotify plays, setting a 2026 single-day record for a female artist.
How we got here
- Taylor Swift announced the upcoming release of her song "Patient Zero." Eonline
- Swift announced an expanded edition of her work featuring four new songs. Pitchfork
- "Patient Zero" and three other new songs were released, setting a single-day female artist streaming record. Yahoo
- "Patient Zero" debuted at No. 1 on the global chart with 13.709 million streams. Ratingsgamemusic
- Swift's "Patient Zero" music video, starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, premiered at an awards show. Billboard, Pagesix
What's likely next
- A September 27 report relayed an early estimate of about 178,000 U.S. album-equivalent units for The Encore’s opening week and a possible return to No. 1 on the Billboard 200; this was a projection, not a final chart result.
All coverage
The coverage
- Taylor Swift's 'Patient Zero' Music Video To Debut At VMAsDeadline · Sep 28
- Taylor Swift breaks two Spotify records with "Patient Zero" releasePaste Magazine · Sep 26
- Taylor Swift reveals inspiration behind new single ‘Patient Zero’ABS-CBN · Sep 27
- Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” Debuts at No. 1 on Spotify With the Biggest Female Debut of 2026Yahoo · Sep 26
- Taylor Swift Sets Single-Day Spotify Record With 'Patient Zero'Billboard
Analysis & opinion
- Taylor Swift’s ‘Patient Zero’ Could Rewrite Several Chart RecordsForbes · Sep 24
- What to know about Taylor Swift’s new music: Her first since her weddingThe Boston Globe · Sep 24
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