One of the hardest things for me is creating the sound I want to make in my head before I sing it, if that makes sense? It causes me to end up either singing monotone, or out of key if I don't have a sound to replicate. To remedy this, I've been just been practicing songs over and over copying the voices of the performers as closely as I can off of memory. But if I forget what it sounds like, I have problems. Besides, I would like to add my own style when I sing, but I can't find out what my style is if I have to copy others to sound okay. Are there any exercises to help with this?

I didn't mean to make this all about myself. I just didn't know how else to describe the problem. Before, I thought it was a head voice problem until I learned that head voice referred to a completely different thing. Is there a specific term for this type of struggle?

Hi Gabby!

I've had a handful students in one-on-one lessons express this very issue. I define it as difficulty with audiating (the musician's word for "singing in your head"). I'd recommend a few things:

1. Practice singing in your head as you listen to a song you know.

2. Sing in your head while listening to an instrumental version of the same song (not a karaoke version - look for a version where the melody is still played by an instrument). 

3. Use the instrumental version as a step in between singing with the original track and singing with the karaoke version. 

I also think it's perfectly good to start with imitation as you learn to sing and develop your own style! That's how we all learn. Eventually, you'll take elements from a variety of singers to create your own style. I really do think it happens organically over time! You will naturally become a combination of the singers that influenced you. 

Here's a live lesson I did on pop stylization a few weeks ago, which I think you'll enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhH5CNabCSI&t=1108s. There are plenty of genre-specific tutorials on this page as well: https://www.30daysinger.com/advanced.