Taylor Swift Surprises Fans With "The Encore" and Four New Songs

Taylor Swift closed out the week with a surprise no one saw coming.“The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore,”the deluxe edition of her 12th studio album, arrived Friday, Sept. 25, with four brand-new songs:“Cleveland!,”“Patient Zero,”“Pink Clouding”and“Babylon.”The rollout had fans decoding clues all week, from zeros in her Instagram bio to an Emmys spoof to a website countdown that finally hit zero.

The new tracks were written in Sweden with longtime collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, born from what Swift described as pure gratitude for the response to the original album, which spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and set modern-era opening sales records. Billboard already ranked the four songs, with“Cleveland!”taking the top spot for its celebration of her romance with Travis Kelce.“Patient Zero”delivers a sisterhood anthem aimed at a toxic ex’s new partner,“Pink Clouding”borrows recovery terminology for some honest self-reflection, and“Babylon”traces a casino patron’s nostalgia-driven life.

There’s more on the way, too.“Patient Zero”is getting a music video starring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson, and it premieres at the 2026 VMAs. Four new songs, a star-studded video and a chart record already in the bag. Which“Encore”track is your favorite? Tell us in the comments.