Flea – A Plea

After more than 40 years as Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist, Flea announces his first solo album with the eight-minute single “A Plea”. He’s returning to his first instrument and first musical love—the trumpet—working alongside what he calls “a dream band of modern jazz visionaries” for a 2026 release on Nonesuch Records.

“A Plea” Find Flea on electric bass, trumpet, and vocals. He is joined by double bassist Anna Butterss, guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise), drummer Deantoni Parks, percussionist Mauro Refosco (Atoms For Peace), alto flutist Rickey Washington, trombonist Vikram Devasthali, vocalist Chris Warren, and producer Josh Johnson on alto saxophone and vocals. The track builds through nearly four minutes of briskly-paced jazz instrumentals before Flea’s punky spoken word delivery kicks in, exhorting listeners to “build a bridge, shine a light” against societal division.

Born Michael Peter Balzary in Australia and raised in Los Angeles, the 63-year-old is stepping away from familiar funk-rock territory into high-energy, free-flowing jazz. The song reflects what he describes as “yearning for a place beyond, a place of love, for me to speak my mind and be myself.” He says he isn’t concerned about the act of politics but believes in a more transcendent place above it, where discourse can actually help humanity live harmoniously.

The music video, directed by his daughter Clara Balzary with choreography by Sadie Wilking, shows Flea performing an interpretive dance—getting on all fours, surrounded by dancing children, delivering lines like “My blood runs cold, I feel hate all around” with theatrical intensity. It’s a chilling scene that articulates the spirit of the song.