A Great Big World had several hits in the 2010s, starting with “This is the New Year” in 2011 and followed up by the huge hit duet with Christina Aguilera called “Say Something” in 2013.
But for singer Chad King, things came to a halt when he started experiencing symptoms of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). He told Parade in an interview earlier this year that he was diagnosed in 2007, and for a while, it was pretty manageable, but eventually, it wasn’t.
“My walking started becoming impaired…My endurance was just not there. And fatigue started to happen to me. And then — I’m fast forwarding quite a bit through a lot — it started affecting my voice, and I wasn’t able to sing. Once that started to happen, I really started questioning everything that me and Ian were doing, at least in music — touring and performing-wise. I just realized that was going to be harder for me to accomplish. I knew [what] the band deserved,” said King.
A Great Big World released an EP in early 2025, but for the tour, partner Ian Axel largely had to perform alone because each night, they just didn’t know if King would be up to performing.
But on Saturday, May 17, King made an emotional return to the stage for the Race to Erase MS Gala, which he credits for the strides he has made in the face of MS.
At the gala, he performed a new song that he wrote about his experience.
“I would love to play for you all on the guitar something I just wrote about this journey I’ve been on. It might be rough, but I would still love to,” King said at the gala (via Los Angeles Magazine).
The lyrics included the lines, “My hands are not the same, my voice is not the same, things are different for sure. I know it won’t be long … that all in time moves on.”
On Instagram, King posted a message of thanks to the gala, writing, “Thank you to @racetoerasems and @nancypeaceandlove for having us back at the 32nd Race To Erase MS Gala this year. It was an honor! MS is so unpredictable, and being able to play guitar (after years of not) for a room full of supporters was a dream come true. And thank you to @ianaxel for being the best supporter of all. What a journey this is! Love to you all,
Chad.”
Multiple sclerosis is an incurable autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It is not fatal, but it is degenerative.
