The rock band 30 Seconds To Mars was founded in Los Angeles. The band consists of founders brothers Jared and Shannon Leto and guitarist Tomo Miličević. 30 Seconds To Mars has sold over 5 million copies of their albums. The band has received numerous awards, including dozens of MTV awards worldwide, the Billboard Music Award, as well as the NME, Kerrang! and Fuse awards. The band’s manager is Irving Azoff, who was recognized as the most influential person in the music industry by Billboard in 2012. Read more at los-angeles.pro.
Since their formation, the guys from sunny Los Angeles have released six full-length albums. All of them were very different from each other. Here, you can learn more about the composer who creates soundtracks for movies.
Band members
The band was created in 1998 by brothers Jared and Shannon Leto. They initially started as a small family project. Later, guitarists Solon Bixler and Kevin Drake joined the Leto brothers, but soon they left the band. Then Tomo Miličević and Matt Wachter became part of the team. However, Matt also left the band after a while to spend more time with his family.
The debut album of the band
On May 23, 2001, 30 Seconds to Mars announced that they would be collaborating with Bob Ezrin on their debut album. It was initially titled “Welcome to the Universe”. The Leto brothers played almost all the instruments. Jared played guitar and synthesizer and was the main vocalist, while Shannon played drums.
Musically, the album, which was eventually named “30 Seconds to Mars”, became the heaviest and most “metal” for the band. It was heavily influenced by alternative metal and nu-metal, which at that time were at the peak of popularity around the world. According to the musicians, they were inspired by artists such as Pink Floyd, The Cure, Björk, Rush, Depeche Mode and The Who. The band’s debut album sold 100,000 copies. The singles “Capricorn” and “Edge of the Earth” were included in the album.
The band’s second album, “A Beautiful Lie”
The band released the “A Beautiful Lie” album three years after their first one. The record brought the band global recognition and commercial success. The album sold 4 million copies.
In “A Beautiful Lie”, the band changed their sound, making the songs more melodious and lighter compared to the previous album. There is no trace of nu-metal in the tracks on the record. Additionally, Jared’s lyrics have also changed significantly. While the debut album touched on themes such as human struggle and astronomy, the lyrics of “A Beautiful Lie” focus on personal experiences.
“This Is War” – the third album
“This Is War” was recorded when the band experienced difficult times. During this period, 30 Seconds to Mars was suing their label, EMI, in an attempt to terminate their contract. Eventually, the guys won the lawsuit, but it was a nerve-racking experience. The band added electronic instruments to their sound, so some songs like “The Killers” had clear “indie” notes. The band described the album “This Is War” as conceptual, as its songs somehow connected to the theme of struggle.
Album “Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams”
In 2013, 30 Seconds to Mars released the album “Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams”. The themes addressed by the band in this album are reflected in its title: love, lust, faith and dreams.
The performers continued to experiment with sound in this album, moving further away from their beginnings. The influence of electronic music and art rock is strongly heard on the record. Like its predecessor, the album was conceptual, which was reflected in its design. The names of the songs bear a certain color that represents their themes: red symbolizes love, yellow – lust, green – trust and blue – dreams.
Album “America”
The album was released in 2018 and is considered Jared Leto’s controversial album. Musically, “America” is very different from previous works of 30 Seconds to Mars. The album is characterised by electropop and pop-rock elements. Guitar distortion has been replaced by trendy beats and samples.
“America” received very conflicting reviews from music critics. Many of them noted the conceptuality of the album, while others did not like that its main idea was not fully developed. Critics also discussed the radical shift in the band’s sound style, mostly praising the performers for their boldness. Most of their old fans were disappointed that 30 Seconds to Mars departed from their rock roots. However, the new sound attracted a lot of new admirers.
Unique Music Videos
The band is known for creating visually bright music videos, which are even called short films (their videos usually last around ten minutes). The lead singer of the band, Jared Leto, is the director and producer of these music videos. For example, he directed works such as “Hurricane,” “Up In The Air” and “City Of Angels.”
It is interesting that in the last two mentioned videos, the band involved a large number of media personalities in the filming. The video for “City Of Angels” lasts over 11 minutes and is an ode to the city of Los Angeles. Among the city’s residents who gave interviews are rapper Kanye West, actresses Ashley Olsen, Lily Collins, Lindsay Lohan and singer Selena Gomez.
Guinness World Records
In 2011, 30 Seconds To Mars became the holders of the Guinness World Record for “The World’s Longest Touring Rock Band.” The band played over three hundred shows on six continents, including sold-out world arenas, the international festival Lollapalooza in Santiago, Chile, as well as the hundred-thousand-audience at the Rock Am Ring festival in Germany. During this tour, the band often organized themed nights where not only the artists but also the fans dressed up and made memorable make-up.
One of the songs from the band’s fourth album, “Up in The Air,” was launched into space on March 1, 2013 on the Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. The launch was broadcast on the official NASA website.
Millions of fans around the world
The fanbase of 30 Seconds To Mars is known for its strong unity and organization. They actively participate in the life of the band and their charity projects and even convene their own conferences. Thanks to this large fan base, the band is able to pack full houses all over the world.
The band engages with their fans in various ways. For example, they help record tracks. Choir vocals can be heard on several songs from the third and fourth albums. In 2009, the album “This Is War” was released with two thousand different covers featuring photos of fans from around the world. The band’s frontman, Jared Leto, mentioned that these photos were used to create multiple album covers so that fans could choose them. Their fans are also involved in the promotion of albums.
The band’s logo and symbols have evolved with each new album release, marking a new era. Thus, the well-known triad symbol was introduced after the release of the third album, “This Is War,” in 2009 and has since become the band’s main graphic symbol.