Cursive singing is a stylistic approach that some singers take in their performance to enhance their sound with long (and sometimes strange) vowels, vocal fry, lack of diction, and note sliding. It is a relatively new term that has been used to describe a trend in pop music, but it has been around since the 90s and early 2000s. The term "cursive singing" was popularized on TikTok, where users would sing words in exaggerated cursive while their friends tried to guess what they were saying.

Cursive singing is characterized by diphthongization, where vowel sounds are stretched beyond what is necessary. The typical cursive vocal will resemble a child mid-tantrum trying to articulate their distress but ever so slightly missing the mark, with many phrases being incomprehensible. For example, "flood" becomes "floyuid", "time" becomes "toyiuem" and so on.

While cursive singing is often associated with pop music, artists from various musical styles have embraced cursive singing and incorporated it into their performances. Artists like Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan have utilized cursive singing techniques to add a distinctive charm and character to their vocals. However, the most obvious problem with cursive singing is that it can be overdone rather easily, making it sound like the singer doesnt actually have a good voice at all or cant hear themselves well.

In summary, cursive singing is a stylistic approach to singing that involves stretching vowel sounds beyond what is necessary, vocal fry, lack of diction, and note sliding. It has been around since the 90s and early 2000s, but the term "cursive singing" was popularized on TikTok. While it is often associated with pop music, artists from various musical styles have embraced cursive singing and incorporated it into their performances. However, it can be overdone easily, making it sound like the singer doesnt have a good voice or cant hear themselves well.