# Is there a name for this hyper-annoying singing style? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704 "2014-01-02T15:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/283 "2017-04-23T10:09:59Z")
> [@dankton](#): > > Here is a video of Pharrell Williams reacting to someone with this exact singing style. > > He actually almost cries and says that it's so original that it's comparable to Wu Tang changing the rap game. Are you fucking kidding me? I like the song, but he did overpraise it. To be fair, the singing style may fit into the universe of the sound we’re talking about, but the instrumentation is beyond the simple acoustic guitar we often hear accompanying this vocal style. Mostly, I kept watching them sitting next to each other and thinking how awkward it all was. I felt like it would have been much easier for her if she just sang it for him (and the wider audience) instead of sitting next to each other, being filmed, listening to what she had recorded. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/284 "2017-04-23T12:04:41Z")
I would keep Maggie Rogers and the viral Pharrell video out of the discussion. She may have a light vocal style, but she created that entire track and _that_ is what impressed Pharrell, even if he oversold his reaction a bit. Creating a fully-realized mix like that, that is well-crafted, hooky, and which sounds unique/fresh is damn hard to do. That is what Pharrell is praising. As an unsigned artist, with the right support, she can smooth out her vocals, but that shouldn’t be the focus of one’s critique. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/285 "2017-04-27T22:16:16Z")
This is a francophone singer named Claudia Bouvette singing in a TV commercial. She gets into it immediately with the annoying, halting “ah ah ah” accompanying her ukulele. And from that point on it’s all innocence and whimsy:) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3t86pIjZpLk/hqdefault.jpg "Aubainerie en mode créatif - Printemps 2017") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t86pIjZpLk) ---
**Author:** ![Mizike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mizike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mizike)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/286 "2017-07-03T15:34:07Z")
You just hang all over the minor 7th. Jefferson Airplane (White Rabbit) ----\> Sade (Jezebel) -----\> (Bjork (Human Behavior) ----\> Cat Power ----\> Phrygian Mode And Major 7th version of this would be Miracles (baby baby) ----\> Crosby Stills and Nash —\> America (Ventura Highway) ----\> The Sundays (Where the Story ends) ---
**Author:** ![kaaleppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aca169/32.png) [@kaaleppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaaleppi)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/287 "2017-08-19T18:36:14Z")
When I search for discussions on the annoying female singing voice phenomenon it is interesting to notice that they are usually about indie singers. I think young female artists in general seem to have this thing where the voice is awkwardly “cute” and every syllable seems to come out like a sigh. I always change the channel when the latest pop hit comes on and it’s a young woman who sounds like she’s reclining tiredly on a sofa or something. I wonder if the pop industry invented the voice to be some kind of subliminal thing that causes you to think about sex without quite being aware of it. ---
**Author:** ![Freckleston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6de8d8/32.png) [@Freckleston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freckleston)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/288 "2017-09-17T15:41:33Z")
My teenage daughter was making me listen to a girl from her school who had a slot on a local radio programme to showcase her ‘talent’. It was all the same whiny songs with keyboard. My daughter says awwww isn’t she really good - and I say No I hate it. Daughter presses me for why i don’t like it hence the Google search! Thank you all so much I can now use lots of bits of your own terms to give my daughter a clear explanation why I do not like her friends singing… how about this… Reasons why i do not like your friend’s singing voice: Voice is child-like, sweet, wispy and waify. Not in a nice way- It is passionless with no power or feeling. She sounds bored or deeply depressed. All of the the songs are sung softly and are breathy. It is monotone (unchanging)- using only 2 or 3 notes. All of it has an unnecessary twang. The enunciation of every vowel sounds like ‘ow’ and the accent is affected in a way that does not resemble normal speech in real life. It is a very easy, narrow range style that anyone can do. It is popular because it hides a lack of talent. The vocal range is appears to be extremely limited or at least it is not being shown off in the songs she chooses to sing. It doesn’t seem she has the dynamic ability to build the song into something more than 3 minutes of the same sound. It is a recognisable, but NOT a unique voice. It is very common for young female singer/songwriters to sing in this copycat style. It started decades ago. You now can’t tell the people singers apart. I didn’t mind so much the style if a few people did it but I don’t like copycat performances. I like people to do something unique and true to their self. For example Ellie Goulding has a similar sound in parts of voice but he difference is that Goulding also breaks into full upper head voice showing off that she can also belt out a fulsome tune whilst retaining her own style. I basically find the style hyper-annoying and hope she chooses to be herself one day instead of like hundreds of other girls on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/289 "2017-09-17T16:38:14Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I like the song, but he did overpraise it. To be fair, the singing style may fit into the universe of the sound we’re talking about, but the instrumentation is beyond the simple acoustic guitar we often hear accompanying this vocal style. > > Mostly, I kept watching them sitting next to each other and thinking how awkward it all was. I felt like it would have been much easier for her if she just sang it for him (and the wider audience) instead of sitting next to each other, being filmed, listening to what she had recorded. This is reality TV remember. It’s emotionally manipulative by design. You really only see things that play out according to a story board. If it doesn’t work out that way they’ll pretend it did, and people will feel the same in watching it. It’s only a performance of how this is “supposed” to go, so that you will keep watching. It has nothing to do with hearing an actual great song. He’s a salesman, and full of BS to boot. The song was a musical bore. He was listening for $. That’s what makes the dude cry. ---
**Author:** ![B\_toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@B\_toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B_toast)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/290 "2017-09-20T16:45:58Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wxLUj1Mrars/maxresdefault.jpg "Jessie Reyez - Figures (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLUj1Mrars) Am I doing it right? ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/291 "2017-09-20T16:55:37Z")
> [@B\_toast](#): > > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLUj1Mrars](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLUj1Mrars) > > Am I doing it right? :eek: I listened for more than 30 seconds before I figured out this isn’t a parody of the annoying singing style we’ve been discussing. It appears to be presented without tongue-in-cheek. Every word is pronounced in that weird style I hate. I thought there would be lines in the song explaining how she pronounces “back” like “baeyeeeek” and how to add squeals to certain words. Horrible. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/292 "2017-09-20T16:57:08Z")
> [@B\_toast](#): > > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLUj1Mrars](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLUj1Mrars) > > Am I doing it right? You catch on fast. The comments sections of these things are even worse than the singing. These are the people you see when you walk out the door every day? ---
**Author:** ![B\_toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@B\_toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B_toast)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/293 "2017-09-20T17:07:33Z")
Sadly this turd of a song is regularly played on the radio here. Ugh ---
**Author:** ![Pitboos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@Pitboos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitboos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/294 "2017-10-15T12:50:29Z")
I just want to say this thread has saved my sanity!!! I was starting to think I was the only one who wanted to eat glass when I heard this. I joined JUST for this topic. Googled searched “why do modern female singers suck so bad” or something. Anyway, if you are feeling like you need to jump off of a bridge just listed to apple musics top hits playlist. Oh and all of the “dudes” are doing it now as well. Its sooooooo bad. Never let this post die!!! ---
**Author:** ![Pitboos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@Pitboos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitboos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/295 "2017-10-15T12:55:24Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Yesterday I heard an abortion that was supposed to be a cover of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”. I will spare you the horror and not provide a link or the name of the “singer”. Well to late I already imagined it. Cooooaaahhhm asss you arhhhhr, as you wrhhhhhhhhr. Gross. ---
**Author:** ![Pitboos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@Pitboos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitboos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/296 "2017-10-15T13:02:34Z")
This singing style is the Duckface of chick photos. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/297 "2017-10-15T13:47:17Z")
> [@hitchslap](#): > > The following song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlJGgbMKTzQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlJGgbMKTzQ) is the one that originally triggered my hatred for this genre, and it’s not even by a woman. It was used on a hipster-ish commercial for the mobile phone network ‘Orange’ in the UK around 2007: > > [http://www.tvspots.tv/video/48353/orange--belonging](http://www.tvspots.tv/video/48353/orange--belonging) Not that far from Donovan, really. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/298 "2017-10-15T14:05:04Z")
I generally don’t like this style and have no patience to sort through six pages of thread. I did a quick scan, though, and it looks like \*\*Jeanette \*\*hasn’t been mentioned: Probably her best-known song. Apparently big in Japan (no surprise there). More about her [here](http://www.chachacharming.com/article.php?id=17&pg=1). Note that the blog name is “Cha-cha-charming”; make of that what you will. Now then, I think women have been singing this way forever. Not all of them, obviously, and not always as “baby talk,” IMO. Maybe not in the case of this woman and others mentioned upthread, but most of the time, I think it _ **is** _ a deliberate effort to sound infantile and is just kind of creepy when not done right. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/299 "2017-10-15T14:11:20Z")
There’s a commercial for, I think, the new iPhone with a woman singing who sounds like she needs an oxygen mask. Link to the song, not the commercial: [The Shacks - This Strange Effect (Official Music Video) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2E1kYOk_hg) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/300 "2017-10-15T15:21:55Z")
> [@B\_toast](#): > > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLUj1Mrars](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLUj1Mrars) > > Am I doing it right? Good god, that may be the worst example (by that I mean a spot-on example) of the hyperannoying singing style I’ve heard. Holy crap is that infuriating. But, reading the comments, I guess I’ve just descended into old-fogeyhood where youngster music pisses me off. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/301 "2017-10-25T16:27:04Z")
[quote=“jerez, post:298, topic:677704”] I generally don’t like this style and have no patience to sort through six pages of thread. I did a quick scan, though, and it looks like \*\*Jeanette \*\*hasn’t been mentioned: [/QUOTE] No, this is not an example of the style. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Good god, that may be the worst example (by that I mean a spot-on example) of the hyperannoying singing style I’ve heard. Holy crap is that infuriating. But, reading the comments, I guess I’ve just descended into old-fogeyhood where youngster music pisses me off. I don’t think it’s very good overall, but it only exemplifies the style at the beginning. Then she actually gets all loud and stuff, and sings with more of a soul style. > [@jsgoddess](#): > > There’s a commercial for, I think, the new iPhone with a woman singing who sounds like she needs an oxygen mask. Link to the song, not the commercial: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2E1kYOk\_hg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2E1kYOk_hg) I love that commercial! I have a major crush on the shorthaired hipster girl. Apple clearly has me and my wife nailed as their target market: we have two iPhones, two iTouches, three iPads, two Apple TVs (including the new 4K), and an iMac. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704/302 "2017-10-25T16:30:21Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I don’t think it’s very good overall, but it only exemplifies the style at the beginning. Then she actually gets all loud and stuff, and sings with more of a soul style. Yeah, the waify stuff is only at the beginning, but the exaggerated and quirky pronunciations continue throughout. I actually find that part the more annoying part of this style. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-hyper-annoying-singing-style/677704.md?page=16)