Taylor Swift Announces New Single 'Patient Zero' Out Sept. 25

Taylor Swift will release a new single, “Patient Zero,” on Friday, September 25, the singer announced on Instagram on Tuesday, September 22. “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,” Swift wrote, according to E! News. The announcement came at the end of a countdown posted to her website two hours prior, Billboard reported.

The single is available for pre-order in three CD versions: standard, acoustic, and piano, each with an alternative cover, according to Billboard. On the piano version cover, Swift poses while showing her engagement ring. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the singer listed the three collector’s edition CDs for the next 24 hours. Swift’s website also updated from a sparkly orange to a dark gray, Rolling Stone reported.

The announcement follows a week of Easter eggs. During a pre-taped Law & Order: SVU sketch that aired at the Emmy Awards on September 14, Swift looked into the camera and said, “Saccharide. Aries. From the Vineyard. North or South.” Fans later unscrambled the message to reveal “Encore,” according to E! News. Pitchfork reported that some fans decoded the words as “HI MY FIRST RECORD’S RE-RECORD IS OUT NOV TEN. AHAHAHA,” though Swift has not shared any plans around Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version).

Swift also replaced the “o’s” in her Instagram bio with zeroes, writing, “And, baby, that’s sh0w business f0r y0u.” The same line, without the zeroes, had been used in promotions for her most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl, according to Fox Nebraska. The singer changed her profile picture across social media, which Rolling Stone noted has signified a new era in the past.

“Patient Zero” will be Swift’s first single since “I Knew It, I Knew You,” her original song for Toy Story 5, which has become a frontrunner in the Oscar race for best original song, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Life of a Showgirl, released last October, spent 12 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and produced two Hot 100 No. 1 singles, Billboard reported.

Swift is set to appear at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, where she is nominated for nine awards and will receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, according to Pitchfork and Fox Nebraska. The release of “Patient Zero” comes just days before that ceremony.