Overview
- Taylor Swift released The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore with four bonus tracks on Sept. 25, 2026, expanding the original 12-track album with “Patient Zero,” “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding,” and “Babylon.”
- Online listeners and several critics have been sharply negative, especially about “Patient Zero” and “Cleveland!,” with complaints that parts of the tracks sound like spoken delivery over basic beats and a reported Metacritic score of 39 reflecting weak aggregated reviews.
- Swift had publicly insisted the original Showgirl would be a closed 12-track work, but she said the Encore songs were written last year and were produced with longtime collaborators Max Martin and Shellback.
- Rolling Stone noted Swift premiered a cinematic “Patient Zero” video at the MTV VMAs, and commentators are debating whether the Encore is a marketing move to keep the album visible for awards voting or a bridge toward her reported film and visual projects.
- Some outlets and fans say the backlash is overblown because the Encore is only four bonus songs and does not rewrite the main album’s intent, but the release has still reshaped public discussion of Swift’s artistic choices and awards-season positioning.