Since Taylor Swift’s cryptic appearance during the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14, 2026, fans have been chomping at the bit about what her clue "Saccharide, Aries, from the vineyard, north or south” meant. Now we know: new music, releasing on September 25.
The first single off of a deluxe “Encore” version of her last album The Life of a Showgirl will be “Patient Zero,” and Kalshi traders are pricing a 98% chance that it will dethrone the Ella Langley song “Choosin’ Texas” in the Billboard Hot 100 chart scheduled to be published on October 10. “Patient Zero” itself also has 95% odds to debut at #1.
Langley’s song has been at the top of the charts for 23 weeks, breaking the previous all-time record of 19 weeks held by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which was tied by Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” in 2024.
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Why will Taylor Swift likely top the Hot 100 chart?
Ella Langley’s 2025 song surprised everyone, even herself, when it surpassed the 19-week Billboard Hot 100 record held by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” earlier this month. “It feels surreal,” the singer told Billboard News earlier this year. The country song has been a word-of-mouth hit this year to those outside the genre, even though “Choosin’ Texas” debuted on the Hot 100 in November 2025.
Taylor Swift, meanwhile, is a household name and no stranger to chart-topping success. Despite a lukewarm critical reception to The Life of a Showgirl, her last album made Hot 100 chart history. The top 12 spots of the Hot 100 chart dated October 18, 2025 were held by all 12 of the tracks from the album, something that had not been achieved before. The lead single from the album, “The Fate of Ophelia,” was in first position.
That wasn’t even the first time she had achieved this type of feat: Her November 2022-released album Midnights saw ten of its tracks occupy the top ten spots on the chart, while 14 of the 31 tracks on The Tortured Poets Department topped the first 14 spots on the chart simultaneously.
Taylor Swift’s previous albums have often debuted to great success, and traders are predicting that The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore will be no different. The Kalshi market is currently predicting at 98% that this will be another #1 album for the prolific singer by the end of 2026.
That said, traders are mixed about whether she’ll also announce the release the rumored re-recorded “Taylor’s Version” of her debut album: 48% odds say yes, while 52% say no.
The takeaway:
Kalshi markets are now predicting:
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