After becoming well-known with his song "This Is the New Year", he developed a solo career, eventually joining forces with long-time writing partner, Chad King, to form the duo band A Great Big World in 2012.

In 2010, Axel's long-time writing partner, Chad King, began joining him on stage more frequently and in 2012 they formed the band A Great Big World.

He made his national television debut on the Rachael Ray show [6] and NPR said in their Song of the Day feature that he had “a voice that possesses the sweetness of youth, the stubbornness of a teenager and the swagger of a rock star.”[7] In April 2011, the song "Gone" was featured prominently in Episode 19 of Season 8 of One Tree Hill, titled "Where Not to Look for Freedom.".

[citation needed] On January 31, 2013, "This Is The New Year" was the closing song on Glee's Season 4, Episode 12 titled "Naked".

[citation needed] Axel was born to a Jewish family and had a bar mitzvah but is a secular Jew.