Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” arrived September 25 as the surprise lead single from the deluxe “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore,” generating immediate fan-driven streaming volume that propelled it to a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 and Streaming Songs chart. The track posted 34.5 million U.S. streams in its first tracking week, supported by a high-profile music video premiere at the 2026 MTV VMAs featuring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell. Four new bonus tracks dominated early global streaming lists, though Metacritic scores for the expanded set landed at a career-low 39, signaling mixed critical reception. Second-week streams fell sharply to 17.4 million, illustrating typical post-debut decay patterns for Swift releases. Traders are focused on how the initial burst and video exposure shaped the final first-week total against historical benchmarks for her deluxe editions.