Overview
- Swift quietly released The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, a four-track expansion written after the original album during a Sweden trip with collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, which arrived on Friday.
- Spotify reported that Patient Zero became the most-streamed song by a female artist in a single day in 2026 and that Swift was the most-streamed female artist in a single day this year.
- Several major outlets gave the Encore mixed-to-negative reviews, with multiple two-star write-ups criticizing the new material for lacking depth and ambition.
- A vocal segment of fans has reacted strongly against the release, singling out Cleveland! for particular dislike in part because it references Swift’s marriage to Travis Kelce.
- Swift will debut the Patient Zero music video at the MTV Video Music Awards, a film she directed that stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell and was shot by Emmanuel Lubezki, and she will receive MTV’s inaugural Artist-Director Award.