Not sure if I can describe this with text, but I’m sure you know what I mean.
There is a trend, primarily among female singers, to inject unnecessary Y’s into words.
You’ll hear it abused here (link to a rendition of Hurt).
Instead of simply singing “I hurt myself today” you hear something like “I hu-yrt myse-ylf today”
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Moving thread from GQ to Cafe Society, our home for singing style questions, annoying and otherwise.
I’ve wondered about this myself. I don’t know how to describe it either but it makes me think of an exaggerated New York (Brooklyn?) accent where “nervous” would be pronounced “noyvous”. Except not exactly 
Shawn Mendes does it too. On Stitches he sings the line “your woyds cut deeper than a knife”.
Singer sounds like Melanie.
“Johnny Cash cover”
Jesus Christ.
It’s known as “indie girl voice” and it’s a fad, but an unfortunately long running one.
I think they are adding syllables. It is super annoying, what ever it is.
Anna Kendrick does it in “when I’m gone” – it becomes “when I’m goahhyn” when she sings it. I think I asked about it here but people weren’t sure what I was talking about.
Indeed.
That’s as good a term as any, I guess. That plus vocal fry is a sure fire way for me to change the radio station (why was I on that station to begin with?)