The trio also represents the three acts with the most career No. 1s on the chart. The Beatles lead with 19, while Drake and Swift are tied with 15 each.
Prior to the current week, Drake and Swift had shared space together in the top 10 numerous times between 2009-26. Meanwhile, The Beatles and Drake previously partnered up in the top 10 six times, most recently on the Oct. 30, 2021-dated chart when The Beatles’ Let It Be re-entered at No. 5 after its deluxe reissue, while Drake’s Certified Lover Boy was No. 1. The Beatles and Swift were together in the top 10 twice before, most recently on the Nov. 12, 2022-dated list, when The Beatles’ Revolver returned at No. 4 after its deluxe reissue, while Swift’s Midnights was No. 1.
Taylor Swift has celebrated her 16th career No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single Patient Zero.
The song, with its star-studded music video debuted by Swift on MTV, marks her fourth No. 1 of 2026, after Opalite, I Knew It, I Knew You, and The Fate of Ophelia.
Swift is closing in on The Beatles' all-time record of 20 Hot 100-toppers, a feat that has stood unequalled for 56 years.
The Fab Four started their run in February 1964 with I Want to Hold Your Hand topping the chart for seven weeks, and smashed out 18 more No. 1s before their final chart topper, The Long and Winding Road, in June 1970.
Billboard has confidently predicted that Swift will easily surpass the record.
"Taylor is nothing if not relentless in her craft," opined the outlet's Chris Eggertsen.
Following the release of its expanded The Encore edition, The Life Of A Showgirl claims its fifth non-consecutive week at the summit, coinciding with the exact one-year anniversary of its original release.
"Patient Zero" becomes Swift’s eighth UK Number 1 single and her third chart-topper of 2026, following "Opalite" and "I Knew It, I Knew You." The feat makes her the only artist to achieve three UK Number 1 singles in 2026 so far. The Life Of A Showgirl also becomes her first album to produce three UK Number 1 singles. Fellow new tracks "Cleveland" (3) and "Babylon" (4) also debuted inside the Top 5. Swift has now achieved the Official Chart Double with five distinct album-and-single pairings, securing the milestone every year since 2022. Across her career, she holds 14 UK Number 1 albums—the most for any female artist in chart history.
All four songs were written with Max Martin and Shellback after Swift travelled to Sweden to celebrate the record-breaking success of ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’.
Lead single ‘Patient Zero’ is a glossy pop track built around electronic percussion and a swooning string line, with Swift using infection as a metaphor for a destructive relationship.
Elsewhere on the Singles Chart, Jamie Miller’s "Babydoll" jumps to a new peak of Number 6, while Madonna earns three Top 40 hits from CONFESSIONS II, led by the Kylie Minogue collaboration "Love Sensation" at Number 8. Oasis classic "Don’t Look Back In Anger" also re-enters the Top 30 at Number 29 amid ongoing tour excitement.
On the Albums Chart, UK indie band Keo enter at Number 2 with their debut record Put A Smile On For Me, shifting 23,500 chart units to become the first UK male band since Blossoms in 2016 to top 20,000 first-week units with a debut. Nothing But Thieves secure their fourth consecutive Top 5 album with Stray Dogs at Number 3, while Soft Cell claim their 11th Top 40 album with Danceteria at Number 26.
