Formed while Axel and King were music business students at New York University, the duo toured in 2011, playing their own songs as well as covers by such artists as Ingrid Michaelson and Five for Fighting. In 2012, they officially adopted the name A Great Big World and released a Kickstarter-funded self-titled EP. In 2013, the duo's profile was raised significantly after their song "This Is the New Year" was covered on the Fox TV show Glee and licensed for use on various other TV shows. That same year, A Great Big World signed to Epic and released the three-song EP This Is the New Year, which featured the single "Say Something," a duet with Christina Aguilera. Their full-length debut, Is There Anybody Out There?, followed in early 2014. Their follow-up, When the Morning Comes, arrived in late 2015 and was preceded by the single "Hold Each Other," featuring rapper Futuristic. ~ Matt Collar