How Terror Jr and King Kylie Made ‘Fourth Strike'

That Glosses clip didn’t just launch a beauty product; it accidentally launched a band. The song, “3 Strikes,” was the first thing David Singer-Vine and Lisa Vitale ever made together. At the time, they didn’t even have a name. A mutual friend, director Colin Tilley, played their demo for Kylie while shooting the commercial, and she immediately wanted to use it. Overnight, Terror Jr became a myth before they were even a group — an internet rumor with a SoundCloud link.

“I feel like there’s a Mandela Effect around this,” Lisa of Terror Jr tells PAPER. “People are always like, ‘I loved you guys before Kylie.’ And I’m like, that’s impossible — we were born in a Kylie commercial. But a lot of people swear they were listening to us before then.”

Nine years later, the story finally loops back on itself. Jenner — now reclaiming her King Kylie persona — officially appears on Terror Jr’s new single “Fourth Strike.” It’s a wink at the past and a reclamation of it: the voice that was once mistaken for hers now shares the mic with the real thing.

For Terror Jr, the collaboration isn’t just nostalgia bait; it’s a reminder of what they do best — sneaking real emotion inside glossy pop. “We’re riding the song like a Trojan horse,” David says. “That’s the mission — hiding substance inside something shiny.” The track arrives alongside an upcoming album, The Terror Jr Album, a body of work that pushes their hyper-synthetic sound toward something more personal, political, and cinematic.

In 2016, they were the mystery. In 2025, they’re the reveal.

We caught up with Lisa Vitale and David Singer-Vine ahead of the King Kylie release to talk pop myths, politics, and the full-circle chaos of being the band that accidentally launched a Kardashian-adjacent conspiracy — and how they turned it into art.

Y’all ready for the Kylie event tonight?

David Singer-Vine: Oh, wow. That’s like asking, are you ready to fly? You know when you’re a little bird about to spread your wings? You never really know until it happens.

Lisa Vitale: I feel like I’m jumping out of the nest, not sure if I’ll fall on my face or fly into the sky.

David: But no, I don’t want to assume too much. We did FaceTime with her, and she’s very chill. Over my career, I’ve worked with all kinds of people. Like ten years ago, I did a session with 50 Cent, and he literally just sat in the corner writing lyrics on a piece of paper. These people you build up in your head as mythic or untouchable are often just normal. Kylie’s the same — sweet and grounded. So yeah, I feel ready for the Kylie event.

Take me back. How did this all start? How did the idea come about? Because with “Three Strikes,” I remember the Kylie Cosmetics moment, when everyone thought it was her voice. That was such a buzzy internet thing. So how did “Fourth Strike” actually happen?

Lisa: In a lot of ways — not to use TikTok language — but we really did manifest this. We’d been joking about Kylie being on a song for years. We always hoped it would happen, but didn’t know if it ever would. When it finally did, it was surreal. We were like, there’s no way this is real.

David: We actually took the past year off to focus on our new album. We felt like we were drifting from what mattered most to us — making music we’re proud of, that feels timeless and not just a flash-in-the-pan TikTok thing. During that time, my childhood best friend, director Colin Tilley, reached out. He’s the one who originally played “Three Strikes” for Kylie back in the day while shooting her first lip-gloss commercial. At that point, Lisa and I had just started conceptualizing Terror Jr — we didn’t even have a song out yet. Kylie heard the demo and immediately said, let’s put it in the video. That was essentially the inception of Terror Jr — alongside Kylie Cosmetics. We’ve always loved the lore of people thinking Kylie was Lisa. But this new song felt like divine timing. Colin hit me while we were deep in album mode and said, "Hey, I’m shooting Kylie’s anniversary campaign. Let’s get a new Terror Jr song in there." Kylie could’ve chosen anyone, but she said yes. She thought it would be cool for both of us. That’s how “Fourth Strike” happened. It also brought together people from my past. Colin looped in our other childhood friend, Niles Hollowell-Dhar — who I used to make music with as The Cataracs and who now goes by KSHMR. It felt like my two musical worlds merging, right as Kylie was launching her own music. It’s all these pop-culture threads colliding in one moment.

So Terror Jr wasn’t actually formed before the Kylie Cosmetics video dropped?

David: Nope. We didn’t even have one song.

Lisa: We had just started writing together. Kylie heard a loose demo that ended up forcing us to finish it for her commercial.

Wow, I didn’t know that.

David: Yeah, nobody does. You might be the first person to actually really inquire.

Lisa: I feel like there’s a Mandela Effect around this, because people are always like, “I loved you guys before Kylie.” And I’m like, that’s impossible — we were born in a Kylie commercial. But a lot of people swear they were listening to us before then.

It is a Mandela Effect! That’s so crazy. Were you guys in the studio with her for this one? Did you actually have face time with Kylie?

David: For this, yeah. Well, not in person, but we did have real FaceTime with her. I actually love how it came together. She wanted to do it her way, and we just wanted her to be comfortable. She had her friend Carter, who’s a music guy, bring a mobile studio to her. She brought in a songwriter she wanted to work with, crafted her verse, and sent everything back and forth with us. She’d record, clean up some things, tweak vocals. She was really involved. For me, it was charming to see because I remember how terrifying it is to record for the first time. And again, she didn’t have to do this. She could’ve worked with any group bigger than us. This was pure fun for her. We just went back and forth until it felt right. On release night, we all FaceTimed again and just talked feelings, how proud we were, how at peace we felt. That’s what matters. Whatever happens next is out of our control.

So you’ll actually meet her tonight?

David: Yeah, as long as the Uber doesn’t crash. LA’s a dangerous place to drive!

Lisa: Or we don’t get tackled the second we walk out of it.

I saw that King Kylie received over 2.2 million Spotify artist profile views following the release of “Fourth Strike.” That’s kind of crazy.

David: It is! There are famous people, and then there’s Kylie Jenner. We knew her reach was massive, but doing this song, we felt it. Lisa and I have been doing this for almost a decade, and this track made us feel like a brand-new group again. It’s rare to capture that lightning twice, and it’s directly because of her — her association, her energy, her willingness to be openly linked with us.

She knows what’s good. I feel like she has great taste.

Lisa: I mean, we think so. I might be biased, though.

Do you have any intel on her personal music taste? Like what she listens to?

David: I just remember back in the day she’d help break artists. If Kylie featured you in something, you’d instantly pop off. I don’t remember all the names, but it was a thing. So yeah, the taste is there. She’s got influence.

Let’s talk about your upcoming album, The Terror Jr Album. It feels like such a return to form. What’s the vibe with this new record?

David: First off, we’d love to send it to you after this. Just keep it safe until November 7. We’re in the final stretch, tweaking mixes and mastering. I’m manic toward the end—I keep hearing tiny things I want to fix. But honestly, I’m so proud. Last night I had a dance party in my bathroom when I was supposed to be asleep. As a songwriter, I’m proud of the craft. My housemate, who’s also the executive producer, has become family. It’s been a sonic family between him, Lisa, and me. We started this a year ago, and I doubted we’d even finish. Some days I doubt the world will still exist. But it’s here now, almost complete, and I’m just grateful. And I’ll admit, I’m a film nerd first, more than a music historian. I’m obsessed with narrative — writing lyrics that actually say something. We were purposeful about the social commentary, politics, and philosophy in these songs. I hope people listen and raise an eyebrow in a good way.

That’s what I’ve always loved about y’all — the lyrics. I don’t think people give you enough flowers for how smart and clever they are, especially the political ones. Like on “A-OK (Everything’s Perfect),” wasn’t there even a line about Omarosa?

David: Yeah! Lisa and I spent long hours on that stuff, not stopping until we knew the lyrics would leave a mark.

Lisa: We actually wrote something similar when we posted the album artwork, saying how we’ve been looking inward and at the world around us. The album is a mix of reflection — personal and global. We’ve never made music that wasn’t also commentary on what we see. What I love about working with David is how fearless it feels. We’re not afraid to say things. A lot of artists hesitate to speak politically, but for us, it’s in the lyrics — we don’t have to spell it out in interviews. I remember doing laps in my pool in the Valley, it was 110 degrees, and David called saying, "We need another song." I was literally melting, watching the news, thinking, What do I even write about? The world felt apocalyptic, and that energy seeped into the music. But there’s also self-reflection and perspective in it.

David: There’s a song on the album called “It’s Exhausting,” which kind of puts me on blast. It’s me looking down the barrel — confronting myself and the world I grew up in. We talk about America, white privilege, limousine liberals, everything. I just hope people are surprised by the substance behind it, even as they’re pulled in by the pop of “Fourth Strike” with King Kylie.

Your music is so interesting, because on the surface it seems almost plastic and bubblegum — but when you actually listen to the lyrics, it hits deep.

David: Yeah, we’re riding the song like a Trojan horse. That’s the mission here — sneaking real substance inside something shiny. Hopefully, we fulfilled it.

Well, I think that’s all I’ve got to ask you guys. I’m such a huge fan of you guys. You’re like The Beatles to me.

Lisa: Oh, okay — so who’s Paul and who’s John?

David: [laughs] Yeah, exactly. But thank you, Ivan. That means a lot. It’s crazy — most of our friends are self-funded indie artists like us, and it’s hard out here. The music industry right now is full of haves and have-nots, especially in pop.

So it really means something to hear that, because even before this Kylie moment, we’ve always put our hearts into what we do. We’ve never worked this hard on a project — truly. The blood, sweat, and tears are all in this one. So the fact that this Kylie crossover is happening now, and we get to share it with people like you, it’s just… we’re lit up right now. We’re hyped. And this interview is part of that moment. We really appreciate you.

Lisa: Yeah, and we appreciate that you were covering us before Kylie blessed us again. You did “Puppy Eyes,” and we still talk about that. We really appreciate the support — hopefully we all ride into the sunset of success together.

Photography by Colin Tilley