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Jared Leto Addresses 30 Seconds To Mars' Future

'I need a little bit of time to catch my breath,' Leto tells MTV News.

In recent months, members of [artist id="1231235"]30 Seconds To Mars[/artist]' Echelon have been in a panic over rumors that their favorite band may be calling it quits once they wrap their (seemingly endless) Closer to the Edge tour at year's end.

Of course, the band themselves haven't exactly done much to assuage those fears, making a few off-handed comments (link) about the split in an interview with MTV Canada, and then following them up by going full [article id="1664232"]non-committal to MTV Radio[/article].

So, when MTV News spoke to frontman Jared Leto last week about [article id="1667688"]30STM's three VMA nominations[/article], we decided to get him to answer the question once and for all. And while, he remained fairly obtuse about everything, he did admit that the band is thinking very hard about their future ... and, yes, he understands that their lack of a firm plan has freaked his fans out.

"Yeah, and I mean, it's understandable why people would [think] that," Leto said. "We've been really thinking about the future, and life and opportunities and choices and, really, I think when we're done with this album cycle, then we'll be ready to address the future.

"It's been such an incredible, insane, crazy ride," he continued. "It's been almost two years, all around the world more than a couple times. This global typhoon of shows and videos and creativity and madness. So, we need a little bit of time -- I need a little time to catch my breath."

But regardless of whatever the future may bring, Leto said that he and his bandmates have also been spending a lot of time reflecting on their past and the long journey they've embarked on with their [article id="1592982"]This Is War album[/article]. It started nearly three years ago, with 30STM embroiled in a lawsuit with their label, has taken them around the world, and has landed them nominations in two years' worth of VMA shows. So, if they do decide to walk away, they'll do so with heads held high.

"It's been a long, slow battle. A global battle. It's incredible," Leto said. "My brother, Tomo [Milicevic] and I were looking at photos, and we look like kids compared to now. So much life has happened since then, and we definitely feel very proud of the adventure so far. Very grateful."

Of course, he couldn't think of a better way to go out than with a trio of triumphs at the VMAs (the band's "Hurricane" clip is up for Best Direction, Cinematography and Editing.) Which is why Leto's not above doing some hard-core campaigning, either.

"But the nice thing about these video nominations, they certainly would be a great way to say goodbye, wouldn't they?" he laughed. "I mean, winning all three would be a pretty nice way to go out."

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for your favorites in the general categories by visiting VMA.MTV.com.

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