Flea’s new single “A Plea” previews a jazz-leaning solo album that taps into his earliest musical instincts.
Flea has offered the first taste of his upcoming 2026 solo record with the release of “A Plea,” a spacious, searching track steeped in jazz textures.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist returns to his trumpet roots while assembling an eclectic ensemble of genre-blurring musicians.
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The new single marks an unexpected but deeply personal direction for Flea, who recorded the track alongside what he calls a ‘dream band of modern jazz visionaries.’
On ‘A Plea,’ he layers electric bass, trumpet, and hushed vocals over contributions from double bassist Anna Butterss, guitarist Jeff Parker, drummer Deantoni Parks, alto flutist Rickey Washington, and trombonist Vikram Devasthali.
Producer Josh Johnson adds harmonies and alto saxophone, while longtime collaborator Mauro Refosco colors the song with light, kinetic percussion.
The track arrives with a Clara Balzary directed video that leans into movement and contrast.
Flea drifts through spaces of shadow and illumination, performing choreography by Sadie Wilking that turns his physicality into an extension of the song’s restless emotional pull.
The visual underscores how far this project stretches from his Chili Peppers work, with its looser structure and palpable improvisational energy.
In the statement accompanying the release, Flea describes the lyrics as a call for connection in a fractured world.
“I’m always just trying to be myself,” he notes, framing the song as a search for a space “beyond politics” where genuine dialogue and empathy can exist.
The album, still untitled until early next year, leans heavily toward free jazz, shaped by the same musicians Flea has championed in past collaborations.
With “A Plea,” Flea signals a bold, brass-forward chapter built on vulnerability, improvisation. Check out the video here.
