Aside from his film career, Jared Leto is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and sole songwriter of the band 30 Seconds to Mars along with his brother, Shannon Leto, on drums. They started the band in 1998 and have released two albums: their eponymous debut 30 Seconds to Mars and 2005's A Beautiful Lie. They began opening for other bands and started their first ever headlining tour, Forever Night Never Day, in March of 2006. In May 2007, they started touring Europe, as the opening act for Linkin Park.in August of 2008, Virgin Records filed a $30 million lawsuit against jared and 30STM, claiming the band refused to deliver three albums as required by its contract. According to the lawsuit, the band "repudiated" a 1999 contract in July. There is not an official release date for their third upcoming album, and it is unknown how the lawsuit will affect its release

Leto directed the videos for the songs "The Kill" and "From Yesterday" under the alias of Bartholomew Cubbins , and "