Red Hot Chili Peppers founding bassist Flea has announced his debut solo album, exploring a jazzy new genre and marking a distinct departure from the RHCP style. The announcement is accompanied by a lead single, “A Plea”. This single serves as an introduction to Flea’s interest in jazz and, specifically, the trumpet.
The new album will drop in 2026. This has seemingly been the right time for Flea to work on his solo project, as the last Chili Peppers album was Return to the Dream Canteen in 2022. After closing a tour in 2024, there has been a bit of a lull in the Chili Peppers world.
Buzz did pick up in the latter half of 2025, after both Flea and Anthony Kiedis shared that the band was working on new music. However, the consensus seems to be that they were supposed to be taking a break, according to Kiedis. But, “every now and then, you don’t care about what you’re supposed to be doing, and you hear something in your head, and you make a call to a friend,” he said.
Meanwhile, Flea’s new direction actually takes him back to his first musical instrument. There’s plenty of bass work on the new single, but Flea also gets to show off his trumpet prowess. He provides vocals as well and is backed by a group of great contemporary jazz musicians.
Flea Picks Up the Trumpet and Heads for New Genre Heights On Forthcoming Jazz Record
Working with Flea is a selection of modern jazz greats. Anna Butterss joins on double bass, with guitarist Jeff Parker and drummer Deantoni Parks. Additional artists include percussionist Mauro Refosco, alto flautist Rickey Washington, and trombonist Vikram Devasthali. Chris Warren provides additional vocals. Rounding out the group is Josh Johnson as producer and alto saxophonist.
Alongside the single comes a music video. Visuals and choreography were designed by Clara Balzary and Sadie Wilking, respectively. But beyond the intriguing visuals and interesting genre exploration, Flea wants to say something with the lyrics. He explained in a statement that the lyrics of “A Plea” are very much of the moment.
He described the song as “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 continued, via press release, “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. There’s a place where we meet, and it’s love.”
How Are Fans Taking To Flea’s New Project?
Initial fan opinion seems mixed. Scrolling through the Red Hot Chili Peppers subreddit provides a bit of an on-the-ground perspective, though certainly not a definitive one. But mostly, fans seem pleasantly surprised by Flea’s approach to jazz. Where they start to differ, however, is in the discussion of the lyrics. The main issue some fans seem to have is with the hollow sentiment of “peace and love” in the current U.S. cultural and political climate.
Overall, the message is positive, and Flea fans are the first to clarify that his heart is in the right place. They know where his feelings lie regarding politics and social issues, and his actions speak much louder than his lyrics. This isn’t the problem. As one person put it, “Sometimes, if you care about something, you have to fight, and platitudes about ‘peace and love’ are just ways to get people to sit down and shut up.”
Overall, that doesn’t seem to be what Flea is after, but the sentiment isn’t far off. Another fan put it like this: “[H]is message involves combating hatred in a general sense, but the overarching sentiment seems to ride the fence a little more than than I’d like.”
The people are looking for calls to action, it seems. The distinct lack of this in Flea’s new single has fans making early judgments. But perhaps that will change when the full album is released. At the same time, maybe there’s room at the table for both direct action and general sentiment. Or maybe everyone should just enjoy Flea wailing on the trumpet instead.
Photo by Clara Balzary
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