Taylor Swift has proved once again that it’s her world, and we’re just living in it. The Life Of A Showgirl singer announced a surprise new single titled ‘Patient Zero’ this week as part of a new extended album, The Encore.
For the Swifties paying close attention to her every move, the announcement of the new single may not have been a surprise at all. In fact, fans believe Swift has been dropping easter eggs about the new track for seven months. The most recent clue came in Swift’s cameo at the Emmy Awards with SUV star and award show host, Mariska Hargitay.
‘Patient Zero’ was also hinted at throughout the release of Life Of A Showgirl, including a poster in the ‘Opalite’ music video that read “patient for the encore” as well as Taylor frequently swapping out the letter ‘O’ for the number ‘0’.
Who Are Taylor Swift’s ‘Patient Zero’ Lyrics About?
Theories quickly began emerging about the meaning behind Taylor Swift’s new single, spanning from an impending TS13 album announcement to an infamous LA Times article about the singer.
The popular theory suggested that the name ‘Patient Zero’ came from a 2024 LA Times article by columnist Amy Kaufman who dissected the cultural influence of Swift’s romance with her now-husband, Travis Kelce.
In the piece, Kaufman wrote: “Taylor Swift is patient zero for emotional contagion”.
Now that ‘Patient Zero’ has been released, it appears neither theory was correct. The song isn’t about Travis at all, but there are strong theories it may be about one of Swift’s earliest exes.
The lyrics allude to Swift helping someone break free from a relationship she’s familiar with, calling herself “patient zero” for this man’s problematic behaviour.
Chorus
“If you wanna party with somebody
Who might know about the devil on his shoulder under his halo
When the toxins take their hold
You’d rather die than let it go
But if you’re sick of him, I got you
I was patient zero
Online, the consensus points to Taylor Swift’s ex, Joe Jonas, whom she dated back in 2008 before he reportedly broke things off over the phone.
Swift famously called out the 27-second phone call during an interview on The Ellen Show, where she said: “When I find that person that is right for me, he’ll be wonderful. When I look at that person, I’m not even going to remember the boy who broke up with me over the phone in 27 seconds when I was 18.”
But ‘Patient Zero’ isn’t about that breakup, it’s about the end of Jonas’ marriage to her close friend, Sophie Turner.
Swift was a loyal supporter of Turner during her 2023 divorce from Jonas, famously loaning her her downtown New York City apartment to the British actress and her children while she was undergoing custody negotiations. Turner later dubbed Swift her “hero” for housing her during the difficult time.
While Swift’s lyrics allude to love bombing and cheating, singing “I bet he burst into your life like fireworks/I bet he even said ‘I love you’ first” and “when you saw another woman coming out of his place / I bet he kissed the rain off your face”, Turner has never suggested such behaviour unfolded during her marriage.
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