New York pop singer-and-songwriter duo Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino make up A Great Big World. In late 2013, everybody who had heard the group’s single “Say Something” reacted to it. After playing during a pivotal segment of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, this little song began its journey to becoming a big platinum-selling hit. The terse, tearful piano and Axel’s heavenly hypnotic vocals tugged on heartstrings worldwide. One heart that felt it especially hard belonged to none other than Christina Aguilera. “We got this email from her that was written like a poem about the song,” Axel recalls. “She told us that she wanted to work with us, and we were completely floored. We couldn’t believe it. A week later, we were in Los Angeles recording it with her. Now it’s even more universal, relatable, and broader in scope.” “Everything just started happening after that,” Vaccarino goes on. “Soon, it was like we’d lived a whole lifetime in just a few months. A Great Big World went on to perform the song with Aguilera on NBC’s The Voice, and that version took off to #1 on iTunes. The same phenomena occurred after a heartfelt performance at The American Music Awards, which generated worldwide applause. They closed out the year bringing the audience at The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show to its feet followed up by sold out New Year’s Eve gigs supporting Maroon 5. However, their journey formally begins with the 2014 release of Is There Anybody Out There? Songs like “I Really Want It” coast forward on swinging piano and uplifting choruses that instantly invigorate and inspire. It’s pop with a purpose and a positive message. “It’s about committing to the fact that all we have is the moment,” Vaccarino reveals. “We only have right now. There is no future and no past, so we should do what we want to.” A Great Big World has a very “big” future that we will continue to document here at New Music Weekly.