New single, new era? Following 2025’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ and her ‘Toy Story 5’ single, Taylor Swift has announced a new song – and the cover art is proving divisive.
Following her headline-dominating wedding this year, Taylor Swift has announced she’s back with a new single, titled ‘Patient Zero’, which will drop on Friday.
“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 on Instagram.
Her Instagram bio now reads: “And, baby, that’s sh0w business f0r y0u,” which ties back to her ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ era.
It isn’t confirmed whether the new track is part of a companion piece to her 2025 album or part of a new era, but many are speculating that the song’s title seems to be a reference to Swift being described as “patient zero for emotional contagion” in a 2024 LA Times article.
One main sticking point for some fans is the cover art for ‘Patient Zero’…
Shortly after Swift’s post went viral online, it was hit with criticism from social media users who called out what they deemed to be “excessive photo editing” and a Photoshop fail.
“The Photoshop on Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” cover is horrendous… girl, you’re a billionaire, please get a professional photographer,” one person wrote on X, while another posted: “I’m so sorry but why does the side of her look so poorly edited? It looks way over-airbrushed and almost AI”.
“No shade, but they edited her armpit to HELL,” another scoffed.
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