A Great Big World

A Great Big World is a New York-based pop group made up of Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino. The act begins in 2012 and continues as a duo project built around piano-led songs, harmonies and pop songwriting.

Formation and background

Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino meet while studying music at New York University. According to their account, Axel tracks Vaccarino down in the university practice rooms and the two begin working together there. Axel first develops as the artist, while Vaccarino shares writing duties and also becomes his manager. Their early partnership takes shape before Axel’s solo career fully develops, and they describe their connection as long-standing and close.

Early work and breakthrough

Before A Great Big World starts, Ian Axel releases an independent solo album titled This Is the New Year in 2010. The title track includes a vocal contribution from Chad Vaccarino. A low-budget video for the song, filmed at a Brooklyn party, attracts over 1.5 million views and helps build significant online attention. After this success, tinyOGRE Entertainment signs Axel, and the album is remixed and reissued through Sony.

Axel’s 2011 viral song “This Is the New Year” further establishes him as an indie pop artist and leads to numerous placements in film and television. MTV uses it as the theme for I Used to Be Fat, and the song also appears over the title credits of Garry Marshall’s New Year’s Eve.

Music and performances

The duo’s music is described as positive, piano-driven pop with prominent harmonies and a theatrical edge. Their songs attract music supervisors and appear in a range of programmes and broadcasts, including One Tree Hill, Amazing Race, ESPN and Good Morning America. They also appear on Rachael Ray.

A Great Big World tours nationally and opens for artists including Ingrid Michaelson, Five For Fighting and Matthew Morrison. Their live performances are noted for a conversational, intimate style.

Later development

After tinyOGRE Entertainment shuts down, Axel and Vaccarino continue the project together. They fund a six-song EP through Kickstarter, with support from fans. The duo presents its work as hopeful, piano-based pop focused less on heartbreak than on a broader emotional outlook.