Hey guys

I'm starting to venture into bending higher frets (frets 15-20) since I sem to have bending on the lower frets pretty down pat. A problem I noticed is that when I bend these higher frets sometimes the string mutes out during the bend. I think it might be because my fingers might be actually touching the fret instead of being just slightly behind it. But the frets are so small its hard to make room. Any tips on how I can get these to stop muting?

Quitar used: Squier Affinity Strat