Pop star Taylor Swift has announced the release of a new single, Patient Zero.
The 36-year-old singer was at the heart of a number of online theories on Tuesday after she changed her Instagram bio, replacing the letter o with zeros and launched a countdown on her website for 7pm on Tuesday.
As the clock struck seven, Swift revealed the new track will be available on Friday September 25 and shared the cover art, which featured the singer leaning against a wall wearing a black high-neck, sleeveless top.
Fans will also be able to pre-order the track on her website over the next 24 hours.
In a post shared on Instagram, she said: “I’ve been impatiently waiting to tell you that my brand new single ‘Patient Zero’ will be out on September 25 (!!!!!!!!!!!!) and it’s available to pre-order now on my website for 24 hours.”
The track is Swift’s first release since she married NFL star Travis Kelce at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in July.
The singer dropped a string of mysterious clues during a surprise appearance in a sketch during the Emmys earlier this month.
The pop star played a rookie detective in a spoof Law & Order: SVU sketch during the US television awards, alongside ceremony host Mariska Hargitay, who stars in the crime drama.
The sketch showed Hargitay playing her character, Olivia Benson, as the SVU team, including stars such as Ice-T and Kelli Giddish, tried to establish if Swift would make an appearance at the Emmys.
Midway through their discussion, Swift appeared dressed as a detective in a beige suit as she talked through the details of the investigation so far.
At one point, she turned directly to the camera and said: “I think what we’re looking for is going to be hiding in plain sight.”
Fans speculated these were clues about Swift re-ecording her debut album.
The singer released I Knew It, I Knew You in June as part of the Toy Story 5 soundtrack and was nominated for the song of the summer category at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).
In total, Swift received 11 nominations, including for best album with The Life Of A Showgirl and artist of the year.
Swift will also receive the inaugural artist director honours at the award ceremony on Sunday in recognition of her work behind the camera and for advancing “the art of visual storytelling”.
Her videos are known for containing easter eggs and clues teasing upcoming music or projects and she has directed videos for a number of her songs including Karma, The Fate Of Ophelia and Opalite.
Swift has also been nominated at the VMAs for video of the year, best pop, best art direction, best cinematography, best editing, best choreography, best visual effects and best direction for Opalite.
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