Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” launched September 25 as the lead bonus track on the surprise “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore” deluxe edition, immediately driving first-week streaming momentum through fan anticipation and coordinated social campaigns. The track posted 34.5 million official U.S. streams and 70.7 million globally in its Sept. 25–Oct. 1 tracking week per Luminate, securing the top spot on Streaming Songs and a Hot 100 debut at No. 1 while the parent album returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. A Swift-directed video starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell premiered at the Sept. 27 MTV VMAs, extending visibility into the final tracking days. Despite mixed-to-negative reviews for the Encore set, Swift’s established streaming dominance and the album’s prior multi-week chart run created a high baseline for opening numbers, with traders now focused on any late adjustments to official first-week totals.