Taylor Swift's 'Patient Zero' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" had ruled the Billboard Hot 100 for 24 consecutive weeks, the longest run at No. 1 since the chart began. That streak ended on October 5, when Taylor Swift's "Patient Zero" debuted at the summit, according to Billboard. The song becomes Swift's 16th career leader, moving her past a tie and solidifying her place as the artist with the third-most No. 1s in Hot 100 history, behind only The Beatles (20) and Mariah Carey (19).

"Patient Zero" is one of four new tracks on the deluxe version of Swift's 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl, subtitled The Encore, which was released on September 25. The other three new songs also landed in the Hot 100's top five: "Cleveland!" at No. 3, "Babylon" at No. 4, and "Pink Clouding" at No. 5. The single opened with 34.5 million official streams, 28.5 million radio airplay audience impressions, and 65,000 digital sales in the U.S. for the tracking week ending October 1, according to Luminate data cited by Billboard.

It also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, with 70.7 million streams and 80,000 sold globally. On the Global 200, it ties BTS for the most leaders since the chart launched in 2020. The song's music video, directed by Swift and starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, premiered on September 27 during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

Swift now has 10 career No. 1 debuts on the Hot 100, tying Drake for the most, and her album The Life of a Showgirl returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a 13th week, according to Billboard.