Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has emerged from his familiar funk-rock chrysalis to create a solo jazz record that brings him back to his first love: the trumpet. The album, titled Honora, drops on March 27, 2026, and he’s on the media circuit promoting the project.
During a March 23 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Flea performed a soulful version of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You” on trumpet. He previously released his cover as a single, following “A Plea” and “Traffic Lights.”
The live performance of “Thinkin Bout You” had Flea opening with a smooth bass guitar lick, backed by a string section. Shortly after the guitar intro, he picked up a well-loved trumpet and continued the melody, eliciting applause from the live audience. His rendition gave the song new life, with a collaborative spirit as Flea was backed by his string section, keyboardist, drummer, and guitarist.
FLea Discussed How Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel Orange’ Album Had a Profound Influence On Him
Frank Ocean released “Thinkin Bout You” on his 2012 album Channel Orange, and Flea noted that the album was a big influence on his solo work. He said he was profoundly inspired by it, which led to the cover being included on Honora.
“When that record came out, it really blew me away,” he said of Channel Orange. “I listened to it 10 million times. It was something I just couldn’t stop listening to. I loved it so much and still do. Just one of those real watershed moment records for me.”
Flea also shared what led him to translate “Thinkin Bout You” into a trumpet cover. Basically, he said, he just thought it would be cool.
“‘Thinkin Bout You’ is one of the many great songs on that record, and I thought it would be fun to play on trumpet,” he said. “I just wanted to get the honest beauty of the melody because it’s a great song.”
Flea’s solo work led him back to the trumpet, which he started playing as a child. In his 2019 memoir Acid for the Children, he called the trumpet the “king of instruments” and the “spokesman for the divine.” Later, in an October 2023 appearance on Hot Ones, he elaborated that it was a sought-after sound way before the electric guitar.
“It was the king of instruments before electric guitar came along,” he said at the time. “So electric guitar came along with a fuzz pedal and a Marshal … [and] before, [the trumpet] was the loudest and the brightest, [it] could soar above everything else. The trumpet is a beautiful thing, I play my trumpet every day.”
Photo by Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
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