Taylor Swift breaks Spotify 2026 record as most-streamed female artist in a day

Popstar Taylor Swift has broken two Spotify records including being named the most-streamed female artist in a day for 2026 following the release of her new single and extended album.

Swift, 36, released her new song, Patient Zero, on Friday which became the most-streamed song by a female artist in a single day in 2026, according to the music streamer.

She also released four new tracks as part of Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore, breaking the record for the most streamed-female artist in a single day this year.

It marked her first new music since she married NFL star Travis Kelce at New York’s Madison Square Garden in July with the singer addressing critics of their relationship in one of her new songs, Cleveland! –  the city where Kelce grew up.

Other songs on the album include Patient Zero, Pink Clouding and Babylon.

The extended album has been met with less positive reviews from critics and received two stars from The Telegraph, The Independent and The Guardian, the latter of which said: “It’s like watching an ambitious chorus line dancer breathlessly flay herself in the spotlight to prove herself worthy of our love.”

The Times on the other hand offered four stars and said the new tracks are a “reminder that when it comes to taking diaristic details and making them palatable for the pop mainstream, nobody does it better”.

The songs on the expanded edition were not left over from the original 2025 album but were instead penned after the record was a hit.

Taylor Swift performed at Wembley Stadium during the Eras Tour (Ian West/PA)

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The singer will premiere the new music video for her song Patient Zero, which stars actors Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, at the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony on Sunday.

Swift will also be honoured at the ceremony with the inagural MTV Artist Director award, which celebrates musicians who direct their own videos.

Earlier this year Swift was named the most streamed artist of all time since the music platform was launched nearly 20 years ago.

It also adds to Swift’s triumphant record-breaking year after she made history as the youngest woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June.