Honora is the debut solo album by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, released on March 27, 2026, through Nonesuch. It was produced by Josh Johnson. The album was inspired by Flea's love for jazz, and features six original songs along with covers of songs originally by Eddie Hazel and George Clinton, Jimmy Webb, Frank Ocean and Shea Taylor, and Ann Ronell.
Flea provided spoken-word vocals, bass and trumpet. Thom Yorke and Nick Cave provided guest vocals. Johnson performed saxophone and keyboards, and the backing band features guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Deantoni Parks, with additional contributions from Mauro Refosco and Nathaniel Walcott and two other members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The first single, "A Plea", was released on December 2, 2025; the release included a music video directed by Flea's daughter Clara Balzary. It was followed by "Traffic Lights", featuring Yorke. A music video directed by nespy5euro was released to promote the song. The third single, an instrumental cover of Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You", was released on February 11, 2026. The album will be promoted by a short tour in May 2026.
The album was named after Flea's great-great-grandmother and inspired by her difficulties with poverty in Ireland and her immigration to Australia. The cover art features a 1960s photo of Flea's mother-in-law Shahin Badiyan in Iran.
Critical reception
The review aggregator Any Decent Music gave the album a weighted average score of 7.2 out of 10 from 14 critic scores.
The publication Mojo wrote a review in which it states that "Flea proves to be a nice rather than barnstorming trumpeter, albeit a subtly ambitious one". Meanwhile, The Guardian wrote that "Honora is never dilettantish, but sincere, exploratory, and soulful". Soundwaves contributor Michael Venn wrote, "What makes Honora compelling isn’t just the music, it’s what it reveals about Flea. This feels like a true artist addressing his own history."
Track listing
Personnel Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
Musicians
Flea – electric bass (tracks 1–4, 8, 10), vocals (2, 10), trumpet (2–6, 8–10), Flumpet (7) Deantoni Parks – drums (1–5, 7, 10), vocals (2) Mauro Refosco – percussion (1–4, 7) Nathaniel Walcott – Fender Rhodes (1, 3, 4), vocals (2); string arrangement, string orchestration (8) Anna Butterss – upright bass (1, 2, 5, 7, 8), vocals (2) Jeff Parker – guitar (1–5, 7, 9, 10), vocals (2) Chad Smith – drums (1) Josh Johnson – alto saxophone (2, 3), vocals (2, 10), piano (4, 10), Moog synthesizer (9) Rickey Washington – alto flute (2) Vikram Devasthali – trombone (2) Chris Warren – vocals (2) Thom Yorke – vocals, piano, synthesizer (3) Warren Ellis – alto flute, viola (4) John Frusciante – treatments (4, 9) Sasha Berliner – vibraphone (6) Brian Walsh – clarinet, bass clarinet (6) Derek Davis – flute (6) Nick Cave – vocals (7) Suzie Katayama – conductor (8) Paul Cartwright – concertmaster (8) Luanne Homzy – violin (8) Alyssa Park – violin (8) Stephanie Matthews – violin (8) Jennifer Takamatsu – violin (8) Andrew Duckles – viola (8) Zach Dellinger – viola (8) Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello (8) Jacob Braun – cello (8) Thomas Harte – bass (8) Joel Virgel Vierset – vocals (10) Cyprienne Virgel Vierset – vocals (10) SJ Hasman – vocals (10) Julian Hasman – vocals (10) Melissa Dougherty – vocals (10) Jessica Vautor – vocals (10) Alejandro Montoya – vocals (10)
Technical and creative Josh Johnson – production Clint Welander – recording Ryan Hewitt – mixing (1–8, 10), additional mixing (9) John Frusciante – mixing (9) Luis Almau – additional recording (7), photography of Warren Ellis Eric Boulanger – mastering Melody Ehsani – design Kelsey Kay – design Shahin Badiyan – cover model Gavin Bowden – interior photography Colin Greenwood – photography of Nick Cave Chris Warren – technical support Maya Bouvier-Lyons – additional design, coordination
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Honora Chart (2026) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 22 Australian Jazz & Blues Albums (ARIA) 1 Croatian International Albums (HDU) 5 French Jazz Albums (SNEP) 1 Greek Albums (IFPI) 7 Italian Albums (FIMI) 86 Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon) 21 Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan) 22 Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard Japan) 32 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 20 Portuguese Albums (AFP) 38 UK Albums Sales (OCC) 20 US Top Album Sales (Billboard) 16 US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard) 2 US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard) 2
Monthly charts + Monthly chart performance for Honora Chart (2026) Peakposition Croatian International Vinyls (HDU) 1 German Jazz Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 1
References