On November 5 , 2013 , on the 14th episode from the fifth season of '' The Voice '' , Christina Aguilera ( one of the competition 's coaches ) performed " Say Something " with A Great Big World . The performance consisted of a piano , some strings and a keyboard for instrumentation , while Aguilera " reining in her voice 's natural power " , according to '' Billboard '' s Jason Lipshutz . Christina was wearing white t-shirt , jeans and a woolly hat . The performance was lauded by critics and other artists , such as OneRepublic , Christina Perri , Ingrid Michaelson , Cee Lo Green and Carson Daly . Caila Ball of '' Idolator '' wrote that , " She was legendary , obviously . " Michelle Stark of '' Tampa Bay Times '' wrote the performance " gives us all of the goosebumps . " British newspaper '' Daily Mail '' wrote that Christina " gave the competitors a master class in subtlety in her touching duet . " Douglas Cobb of '' Las Vegas Guardian Express '' called it " a very emotional , low-key , cool performance . It was a very tender , touching song — Christina did great , as usual , singing it . " Bradley Stern of '' MuuMuse '' called the performance " perfect " , writing that , " Christina keeps it as stripped as the studio version , allowing her naturally beautiful vocals to sound a whole lot more vulnerable than usual . The result ? One powerful , devastating performance – you 'll be seeing your reflejo in the tears streaming down your face in no time . " A Great Big World and Aguilera also performed the song at the 2013 American Music Awards on November 24 , 2013 . With her hair in a braid and wearing a muted black dress , Aguilera sang an original verse midway through the performance , which included a string section and a fairly bare stage . With A Great Big World 's Chad King manning the keyboard , the group 's Ian Axel sat at the grand piano and stamped his feet furiously as ' Say Something ' approached its emotional climax , " according to '' Billboard '' s Jason Lipshutz . Lindsay Dreyer of '' Wetpaint '' wrote that " Taking her rightful place center stage in a floor-length black dress and braided updo , the 32-year-old pop diva harmonized perfectly with the group 's lead singer Ian Axel , who worked the piano with passion and poise . Xtina 's rich yet breathy tone offered just the right amount of strength and vulnerability — a side of Christina we have n't seen in a really long time . " Dreyer finished the review stating , " If tonight 's AMA performance is any indication , Christina is on the brink of a major music comeback — and we ca n't wait ! . " The band also performed the song at the 2013 Victoria 's Secret Fashion Show on December 10 , 2013 . However , Aguilera did not perform the song with them as a duet , due to scheduling conflicts of '' The Voice '' . Aguilera also performed the song in Malaysia in a private concert without the band on March 28 . The duo and Aguilera also performed the song during the New Orleans Jazz Festival . She gave a one-and-a-half-hour-long show and then invited the band to perform the song in front of a large crowd on May 2 , 2014 . The band ( sans Aguilera ) sang the song on the September 6 episode of '' Last Week Tonight '' in a duet with comedian John Oliver to mourn the loss of the Russian space geckos
2013 American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2013
Say Something (A Great Big World song)