Flea may be one of rock’s most recognizable bassists, but his newest release, “A Plea,” finds him reconnecting with the instrument that shaped his earliest musical life: the trumpet. The Red Hot Chili Peppers co-founder has unveiled the track as the first preview of his forthcoming 2026 solo album on Nonesuch Records, marking a bold shift into jazz-forward, exploratory terrain.
Written and performed by Flea, “A Plea” assembles what he calls a “dream band of modern jazz visionaries” — an ensemble featuring guitarist Jeff Parker, percussionist Mauro Refosco, double bassist Anna Butterss, drummer Deantoni Parks, alto flutist Rickey Washington, and trombonist Vikram Devasthali. Producer Josh Johnson contributes alto saxophone and vocals, while Flea handles trumpet, vocals, and electric bass. The arrangement is lush, patient, and textured, revealing a side of Flea that longtime fans may know only from his earliest interviews: the kid who fell in love with Miles Davis before ever plugging a bass into an amp.
“A Plea” arrives with a visually striking music video directed by Flea’s daughter Clara Balzary, whose dreamlike choreography and interplay of shadow and light mirror the emotional momentum of the song. The clip places Flea in a shifting landscape that moves between minimalism and intensity — reflecting the musical world he’s building around this new project.
In a statement, Flea described the track as a call for connection during an increasingly fractured cultural moment.
“Build a bridge, shine a light, make something beautiful and see somebody, give it to somebody,” he says, framing the song as a reminder of the human pulse beneath political noise. “There’s a place where we meet, and it’s love.”
While the Chili Peppers have kept a packed schedule in recent years — releasing two albums in 2022 (Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen) — Flea has remained equally busy outside the band. He’s published a memoir, acted in major film and TV roles, launched a music-education podcast (This Little Light), and continued refining the improvisational instincts that have carried through his entire career. His last solo effort, Helen Burns (2012), hinted at the experimental leanings he’s now fully embracing.
With “A Plea,” Flea isn’t abandoning the energy that made him a generational rock figure — he’s expanding it, diving into the jazz roots that shaped his musicianship long before the formation of RHCP. If this first single is any indication, his upcoming 2026 album won’t just be a side project. It’s the sound of an artist returning home, stretching out, and inviting listeners into a space where genre boundaries dissolve and emotion takes over.
Watch the “A Plea” video below.