Taylor Swift officially has brand new music on the way.
Taylor announced her new single, “Patient Zero,” and almost immediately Swifties started trying to figure out what the song might actually sound like.
So far, Taylor has not released a snippet or officially described the sound of the track, which means the mystery is very much alive. But fans are already picking apart the visuals, the title and the different versions of the song for clues.
One of the biggest things people noticed is that the imagery surrounding “Patient Zero” feels noticeably darker than the bright, theatrical look associated with The Life of a Showgirl.
That has sparked theories that Taylor could be moving into a moodier or more cinematic sound. Some fans are even comparing the overall feeling to eras like Midnights, reputation or The Tortured Poets Department.
There is also the fact that Taylor is releasing acoustic and piano versions of the song.
That has fans wondering if “Patient Zero” could be especially lyric driven, with a melody strong enough to work in a much more stripped down setting.
Then there is the title itself.
“Patient Zero” usually refers to the first identified person connected to the spread of something, which has fans wondering if Taylor could be using the phrase as a metaphor.
Love, heartbreak, obsession, fame and public scrutiny are all being thrown around as possibilities.
Fans also noticed Taylor used the phrase “impatiently waiting” when announcing the song, which certainly seems like the kind of wordplay Swifties are trained to notice.
The biggest question, though, may be where this song actually belongs.
Taylor has announced “Patient Zero” as a new single, but fans are still trying to figure out whether it is connected to a larger project or the beginning of a completely new chapter.
For now, we wait.
And knowing Taylor Swift, there are probably already clues sitting right in front of us.
