A Great Big World Biography

A Great Big World is an American pop-rock duo from New York mostly recognized for the emotional single Say Something.

Early Formation

Ian Axel and Chad King met during college. Axel convinced King to join a band after he heard King sing.

Career Beginnings

They would often offer their songs to various television shows such as The Amazing Race, ESPN and Good Morning America. In 2012 they decided to change their name to A Great Big World and have a fresh start. As a result, they released a self-titled EP the same year.

Breakthrough 

Their image was brought to the forefront when their song This Is the New Year was covered on the popular TV show Glee. A Great Big World was signed to Epic and released This Is the New Year as an EP this time. Say Something was released digitally the same time it was played on TV dancing competition So You Think You Can Dance. It reached number 20 on iTunes as a result. Christina Aguilera was impressed by the song and asked to be featured on the single’s re-release in 2013. Soon, this version became the number 1 digital song. They performed the track the first time on the American Music Awards with Christina. A Great Big World’s debut album was revealed in 2014 as Is There Anybody Out There?. The following year, the sophomore album was released with the title When the Morning Comes. They are currently working on their own musical called Strokes of Genius.

Photo credit: Out