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MUSIC SEEN: Go Behind The Scenes With Up-And-Coming Artist A Great Big World

A Great Big World VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

Ian Axel A Great Big World

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

Chad Vaccarino A Great Big World

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World Photos VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World Photos VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World Photos VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World Photos VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World Photos VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World Photos VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World Photos VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World Photos VH1 Music Seen

[Photo Credit: Lauren Weissler/VH1]

A Great Big World have been named as VH1's You Oughta Know artist for the month of January, making them the first members of the 2014 class of this prestigious family of artists. The latest to join the lineage of piano-pop acts like Coldplay, Keane and The Fray, A Great Big World is made up of Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino, two guys who first met while studying at New York University.

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Ian and Chad have each been kicking around the music scene for a few years now, but caught their first big break when their song "This Is The New Year" appeared in an episode of Glee last year. The powerful response to the song by a then-unsigned act caught the of Epic Records, who signed the guys to a record deal and got them working on new material. A few months later, their emotional ballad "Say Something" started bubbling up in industry circles, eventually catching the ear of one Christina Aguilera, who immediately decided to hit the studio and re-record the song with the band. A Great Big World then performed the song with Aguilera on an episode of The Voice last fall and, as they say, the rest is history.

A Great Big World's debut LP, Is There Anybody Out There?, won't be hitting stores until January 21, but we were fortunate enough to spend some time with Ian and Chad last month here in New York City. Our own ace photog, Lauren Weissler, spent a day with these gentlemen as they conducted a series of interviews, and the results can be seen in our latest installment of Music Seen. Additionally, VH1 is excited to announce that we'll be livestreaming a concert from A Great Big World next Thursday, January 16. More details on this exciting event to follow in the days to come!

[Photos: Lauren Weissler/VH1]