30 Seconds to Mars' new album is inspired by India.

Frontman Jared Leto has recently been to the Asian country and was inspired by what he saw there to write new songs.

He told MTV: ''I was recording in India, and had an amazing experience over there, and came back with some really great material.

''And not so much that this is a World Beat record, it's more about the experiences and how they're influencing me in creative terms, emotional terms.''

Jared also told how one impromptu recording session saw him joined by a gang of local children.

He added: ''There was one afternoon that we climbed up above a city called Jodhpur, we were on a cliff with a 2000-year-old fortress behind us.

''So it was about sunset, and I had a portable set up, so we started recording. I had an external speaker, and the kids started to hear this song I was working on.

''So they started climbing out onto the rooftops of the city, and soon they were scrambling up the side of this mountain, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by dozens of these amazing Indian kids, singing and dancing along to this recording process.

''It was really mind-blowing.'

Previously 30 Seconds to Mars - which also features Shannon Leto

Tomo Miličević - had said their fourth album will be ''very orchestral, narrative, interactive and even more electronic than previous projects.''