Taylor Swift Earns U.K. Chart Double as ‘Patient Zero’ & ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Hit No. 1
She is the only artist so far to boast three separate U.K. No. 1 singles in 2026.
Taylor Swift has earned a U.K. chart double following the release of a deluxe edition of The Life of a Showgirl on the tallies published Friday (Oct. 2).
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Swift released The Encore edition of the LP on Sept. 25 with four new songs: “Patient Zero,” “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon.” Two days later, she premiered the music video for “Patient Zero” at the 2026 MTV VMAs, where she also collected the inaugural artist director prize.
Now, “Patient Zero” has hit the top spot on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart in its opening week to give Swift her third No. 1 of 2026 following “Opalite” and Toy Story 5 track “I Knew It, I Knew You.” Meanwhile, “Cleveland!” and “Babylon” land at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
On the Official Albums Chart, The Life of a Showgirl returns to the top spot following the release of The Encore edition, marking its fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1.
The Life of a Showgirl previously spent four weeks at No. 1 upon its initial release in October 2025, spawning two No. 1s on the Official Singles Chart: “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Opalite.” The album is Swift’s 14th career No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart and set a new record for opening-week total units in the U.S. with 4.002 million, according to Luminate, on its way to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
After leading the Official Charts Company’s midweek update, British grunge-rockers Keo settle for No. 2 with its debut album, Put a Smile on Me. The band will embark on a sold-out U.K. headline tour in October, culminating in a performance at London’s O2 Brixton Academy in March 2027. Southend-formed rockers Nothing But Thieves finish the week at No. 3 with Stray Dogs.
Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love claims No. 4, while Michael Jackson’s The Essential hits collection rounds out the top five at No. 5.
Following her win at the 2026 MTV VMAs, Sienna Spiro’s “Great Expectation” lands at No. 2 on the Official Singles Chart, with Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” finishing at No. 5.
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