Songfacts®:

• This was originally released as the title track of lead singer Ian Axel's debut album, also called This Is The New Year. In 2012, it was re-released with his band A Great Big World and included on their debut, self-titled album. The New Jersey singer-songwriter explained the inspiration for the song in an interview with PopEater: "I think people use the new year, the holiday, as an excuse to make the necessary changes that they have to make in their life."
• The song is used as the theme tune to the MTV reality program I Used To Be Fat. Axel told PopEater how he reacted when he was told that it was going to be used on the show: "I smiled. I'm excited about it because the message of the show is consistent with the song. It's about kids who are overweight at the end of high school and want to start their lives fresh as they go to college. It's like a raw, real reality show, not like Jersey Shore. But I'm excited because it's crazy to think that these songs that I write in my room when I'm alone are gonna be on MTV and other people are gonna be listening to it. It's absolutely insane, and I hope it's always insane and it always feels insane."
• A Great Big World first received widespread exposure when this song was featured on Glee, helping it to become a minor hit. The success of the tune helped the duo earn a recording contract with major label Epic Records.
• Here's what A Great Big World had to say about the background to the song during an interview with The Huffington Post:
  
  "In 2008 we went to the most epic New Years party ever in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania. On our way back, we felt incredibly inspired by life. This song came from a place where making changes and resolutions in our lives seems to only happen once a year, and we feel like they should be and can be made every day."
• The video was shot by A Great Big World's friend Leif Parton during a holiday party. The duo recalled during a Reddit AMA: "Our friend at the time brought his camera and a light to another friend's holiday party in Brooklyn. We took over her bedroom and just played the song on repeat as people from the party jumped into the frame drunkenly singing with all their heart (or pretending to know the words). Honestly we don't even know some of the people in that video. Bust most of them are friends! I think we just wanted to capture pure unscripted joy."