This is the Life on MARS: 9 nov 2012

9 nov 2012

Jared Leto reveals album 'transformation'

Thursday, 8 November 2012

Jared Leto says his band's new album is a "complete transformation" for them.

The actor is frontman of American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, which also consists of Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic.

The group have recorded new music in Asia, Europe and America for the album which is due for release next year.

"It's stronger, better and more evolved. It's a complete transformation for us," Jared revealed to the BBC.

"[We have] cut out a lot of fat and focused on the core of what we do."

Prior to the recording of their fourth musical offering, there had been rumours 30 Seconds to Mars would split.

Their last album This Is War came out in 2009 and Jared says the temporary break was good for the band.

"People started to ask us about a new album. We had been on the road for almost two and a half years and I didn't know. I had no idea what the future held. I don't think any of us knew. We told the truth," he confessed.

"There were a lot of questions we had. There was a certain amount of fragility when we thought about what we were doing with our lives at that moment. It wasn't a bad thing. It's good to question and debate with yourself."

The 40-year-old artist says he and the group are now back and better than ever.

"I really think that this could be the best thing that we've ever done," he added.

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JARED at DOC NYC 2012 ♥

ARTIFACT SHINES A LIGHT ON THE RECORD INDUSTRY

In retrospect, the genesis of what would become the documentary film ARTIFACT seems pedestrian enough. The members of the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, about to embark on the making of their third album This is War, decided to record the process on film.

But in a bizarre turn, the band found itself facing down a $30 million lawsuit from their own record label, who claimed that they had failed to deliver on their contract to produce three albums. Instead of capitulating to the demands of faceless corporate record label EMI, 30 Seconds to Mars decided to square off against it in litigation, yielding a modern David versus Goliath tale.

“This is a film that was really personal, it was a labor of love,” said 30 Seconds to Mars lead singer and actor Jared Leto while introducing the film at DOC NYC. “We take you inside the laboratory, the studio–inside our hearts and minds, and share with you how difficult this period of our lives was. Battling a massive corporation and fighting for what we believed in.”

A cleverly edited film, ARTIFACT displays the intimacies of the band’s conflict with the major label record industry, which too often relies on the promise of fame and fortune to shackle bands to contracts that turn them into little more than indentured servants.

But the film also gives viewers a great grounding in the disruption that the music industry has faced from the rise of digital media, as well as the widespread adoption of the illegal downloading of music by consumers. “We believe it was important for audiences around the world to know how things work so they can be better informed when they make decisions about how they interact with and support artists,” said Leto.

Cognizant of the structures that all actors in the music system seem to be caught up in, Leto also made it a point to note that he understood the difficulties faced by record companies themselves. “They’re not bad people,” he said. “They happen to work in a business that has a lot of challenges, and, in my opinion, needs a good solid look at.”