Hip-singing and vocal fry; why do I hate them so much?

Brad MacClure - 21 January 2025

Okay, now I know my title is a loaded question. The answer could be that I’m a curmudgeonly old boomer who pays way too much attention to musical trends. Or it could be that I reject the premise. It’s the latter, I don’t really hate hip singing or vocal fry.

What is hip singing?

You may not have heard of one or either of these modern phenomena, so I will start by pointing you to a really funny video here about how to hip sing:

This is sometimes called “Indie girl voice”, or “cursive singing”. The latter was first coined by Twitter user @TRACKDROPPA back in 2009, writing “Voice so smooth its [sic] like I’m singing in cursive..”, the term was interpreted to be in reference to Corinne Bailey Rae and Amy Winehouse.

I’m not entirely sure if these casual terms are totally interchangeable. I’ve tried to find positive definitions, but it seems these terms are so “urban dictionary” that it’s really hard to pin them down, so for now I’m putting them all together. By the way, “Indie girl voice” is not just about girl singers, it’s called that but there are many boys doing it too.

Characterised by exaggerated enunciation, unusual vocal affectations, and a deliberate blend of breathy tones with unexpected vocal breaks, hip singing seems to be less about musicality and more about a cultivated aesthetic. Singers intentionally flatten or warp their vowels, drop consonants, inject dramatic pauses, or mimic emotional frailty. It seems like it’s meant to sound ‘real’ and authentic. In my opinion, it feels manufactured and inauthentic.

The best non parody example I can find is this song by Selena Gomez, but there are many others:

Over the last 15 or so years I’ve been getting a bit more involved with the local musicians’ club. I’d started noticing upcoming teenage female singers doing the above listed things a lot. It can get irritating if you let it, but, to be honest, I always try to be humble about this, because I still remember (and boy am I glad there are no recordings) how influenced the young me was by who I listened to the most, and shudder to think how cringe it would be to hear my seventeen year old self singing! That’s a no from me! … a big fat no! So I’m always happy to give these young women a pass. All their idols probably do it, all their friends probably cheer them on for imitating their idols, so let’s give them a break!

It seems like, in part, hip singing is an effort to sound “raw” or “authentic.” Yet, the irony is hard to miss. If you watched that first video I linked, the funny one, you would’ve heard her say something like “Everyone is doing it so… it’s very unique!” These vocal quirks are rehearsed and distinct. It seems to have become a particular style that many are copying, so, “unique” and “authentic”? Perhaps not so much.

Just another formula?

Despite its rebellious branding, hip singing is a formula: soft-spoken verses, quirky phrasing, and emotionally vulnerable whines. While this formula may initially captivate audiences, it risks becoming just as predictable as the polished, auto-tuned vocals it seeks to disrupt. One could argue that rather than pushing boundaries, hip singing is just a different type of packaging for the same old product: marketable relatability.

So how did we get here?

I notice many saying the phenomenon dates right back to when Amy Winehouse sang “Valerayeee…”. But there’s one video I found, where Aimee Nolte points out this is not a new thing at all. Citing multiple examples going back decades, she argues that making words sound weird so that they stand out has been happening as long as there’s been songs. It’s just something singers and songwriters do, and hip-singing is just a version of it.

Dominique Lalama expresses the idea that “indie girl voice” could have evolved due to the fact that we now have recording techniques whereby we can layer or overdub the same voice, adding effects and such, so we no longer require good technique. So now anyone can be a singer, by which she means this is a thing that you can use in place of talent.

Again, I think perhaps that’s a bit harsh. There’s even a borderline conspiracy theory from CrayCristy stating that the mispronunciation of words in songs is done by singers to drive up search results, since you’re compelled to search for song lyrics you can’t understand!

I personally think that that both gives and takes away credit from the singers at the same time. Judging them for being so cynical as to put ‘clicks’ above musicality (well, okay, now that I read it back I think that’s plausible) and crediting them for being clever enough to use this to drive traffic to themselves. I honestly think it’s more likely that, as I say, it’s just a trend, sometimes a bit annoying perhaps, but just a trend, followed up by a bandwagon effect. Someone did it, someone else thought it sounded cool, it became popular, even marketable, then producers and the singers in their stable saw it as an opportunity. But it’s interesting, right?

Does it overshadow musicality and talent?

Hip singing, I think, is to some extent prioritising style over substance. That is to say while we are paying attention to the feel, the vibe, the style of what we are hearing, I think we could be overlooking the fact that there is no actual message in the song. It’s designed to pull the listener in, but it really has little to offer once you’re pulled in. While artistry isn’t solely defined by technical ability, the emphasis on quirkiness can obscure true talent, or hide the reality that there isn’t talent in the first place. One has to wonder if it’s not a symptom of the same issues that the likes of journalism faces. It’s as if social media has made everyone a ‘content creator’, but there are very few people paying attention to the actual message any more. I’m a lyrics guy. I think lyrics are important. I would concede however that some styles of vocal music are not about a literal message at all, and in these cases the voice is just like any other instrument. It makes a pleasant sound, and is art for art’s sake. Fair enough, I guess, but I suppose I’m coming from the folk tradition, where you should be saying something, even if it’s just storytelling.

Imitation or Innovation? Your choice.

Hip singing has become a style of its own, with imitators out there trying to outdo each other with increasingly bizarre vocal tics. I think the style could - well, okay, in fact it already has - become a parody of itself. What looks like an effort to break the mould seems to have become a new mould. I can’t help reflecting on the folk and folk rock musicians, especially in the United States and Canada back in the protest era, many of them were also activists. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Bruce Cockburn to name a few. Or what about Creedence Clearwater Revival and their anti-war songs? Those musicians were anti-capitalists, communists even, as was the case with the likes of Woody Guthrie, who got round with “this machine kills fascists” written on his guitar. Those guys were not about commercial success. They got called dirty hippies. They actually had an important message and they were very bold with it. (Not to say some weren’t commercially successful as well of course.) Stylistically those people were generally quite plain, but lyrically they were radicals. My point is that this hip singing, or “cursive singing”, is the antithesis of that. You can’t understand the lyrics, on account of the hip singing, but that’s fine because there’s nothing profound or interesting in them anyway. The music is no longer a weapon for battering fascists (figuratively speaking) over the head, but it is art, just quite commercial art.

Vocal Fry

I struggled to segue while writing this, because I think mostly vocal fry is not so much about music and singing. However there is crossover between the two. The term “vocal fry” refers to a raspy, low-frequency sound that occurs when the vocal cords are pressed together very tightly, creating a creaky or gravelly tone. It’s often heard at the lowest registers of the voice and can be used intentionally for expressive effect.

First, have a listen to this clip from “Loudermilk”, which is the best explanation of vocal fry I can find, although not a musical track.

Vocal fry is produced when the vocal cords are relaxed, but still vibrating at a very low frequency. The vocal cords are not fully vibrating in a melodic sense. Instead they come together loosely, causing a raspy or “creaky” sound, a bit like bacon crackling in a frying pan perhaps? Hence the term maybe? I’ve noticed it a little in the songs linked above. Have another listen to Selena Gomez:

I realise of course that vocal fry is not just a musical thing. It is a vocal stereotype in everyday speech, particularly in American pop culture. I’ve really just been concerning myself with it in regard to music and hip singing. A whole article could be written about its effect, and I noticed a few studies like this one that suggest it could be harmful socially to women in particular. So, as I say, that discussion might be for another time, and maybe someone else should write that article, because my biases are too great to overcome (meaning I dislike the habit and would probably get snarky).

Conclusion

If you’re into music like I am, try to enjoy it. If you hear young millennials or teenagers hip singing, try not to be judgy! I know it can be hard. You will at some stage be put in a position where you have to listen to something that’s not exactly to your taste. For example, if a family commitment means you have to attend a concert - maybe even it’s a family member performing. It helps to focus on what’s good about the performance, and there’s always something you can appreciate. It could be your family member has a singing tutor who is either naive to their musical influences, or is actually steering them this way. If you have an influence in that regard, choose the tutor wisely. A good one will always find the singer’s own voice. As skeptics we’re not unused to having to find the line between critical thinking and judgmentalism. Also know when to just keep quiet. Write an article about it if you need to vent!