Flea has delivered the first preview of his upcoming solo album set to release in 2026 on Nonesuch Records. The Red Hot Chili Peppers founding bassist worked with a “dream band of modern jazz visionaries” and returned to “his first instrument and musical love, the trumpet” for the project, per a press release. While the title and further details of the LP are still under wraps until early next year, the video for lead single, “A Plea,” dropped today.
Written and performed by Flea, the new track features the artist on electric bass, vocals, and trumpet, while the ensemble also includes double bassist Anna Butterss and guitarist Jeff Parker, as well as drummer Deantoni Parks, percussionist Mauro Refosco, alto flutist Rickey Washington, and trombonist Vikram Devasthali. Chris Warren contributes to vocals, along with the song’s producer Josh Johnson, who also performs alto saxophone.
The Clara Balzary-directed visual sees Flea dancing between spaces of light and dark, with choreography by Sadie Wilking.
The song’s lyrics are a “yearning for a place beyond, a place of love, for me to speak my mind and be myself. I’m always just trying to be myself,” Flea said in a statement, reflecting on division in our country and the world.
“I don’t care about the act of politics. I think there is a much more transcendent place above it where there’s discourse to be had that can actually help humanity, and actually help us all to live harmoniously and productively in a way that’s healthy for the world,” he continued. “There’s a place where we meet, and it’s love.”
From Rolling Stone US
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