Flea Musician Biography

Flea-born Michael Peter Balzary is an Australian-American musician and actor. He is a founding member and bassist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers.

He was born in Melbourne, Victoria; his family moved to Rye, New York when he was four. After his parents divorced, He spent his childhood in the United States and Australia, before settling in California.

At high school, he befriended singer Anthony Kiedis, with whom he formed the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1983. He is also a member of the supergroups Atoms for Peace, Antemasque, Pigface, and Rocket Juice & the Moon, and has played with acts including the Mars Volta, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Alanis Morissette, Young MC, Nirvana, What Is This?, Fear, and Jane’s Addiction.

10 Quick Facts About Flea Musician

Here is a list are 10 facts

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• Name: Michael Peter Balzary
• Age: 61 years old as of 2023
• Birthday: October 16th
• Zodiac Sign: Libra
• Height: 5 feet 6 inches
• Nationality: Australian-American
• Occupation: Musician and Actor
• Marital Status: Not Known
• Salary: To be Updated
• Net worth: $1 million and $5 million

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Flea Musician Age

Michael Peter Balzary is 61 years old as of 2023. He was born on October 16th, 1962 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He also celebrates his birthday on October 16th every year. Moreover, his birth sign is Libra.

Flea Musician Height and Weight

Peter measures an average standing height. He stands at an average height of 5 feet 6 inches tall. He also weighs 70 kilograms. Moreover, he has a bald head and hazel eyes.

Flea Musician Education

He was first called “Flea” as a teenager for his seeming inability to sit still, and the nickname stuck. Nicknamed Mike B. the Flea, he attended Fairfax High School and was something of an outcast due to his taste in music.

However, he soon met Anthony Kiedis, and after a brief confrontation, the two became best friends. Kiedis recalled: “We were drawn to each other by the forces of mischief and love and we became virtually inseparable. We were both social outcasts. We found each other and it turned out to be the longest-lasting friendship of my life.”

Flea Musician’s Family, Parents, and Siblings

Balzary was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is of partial Hungarian and Irish descent. His father, Mick Balzary, an avid fisherman, often took him fishing. When he was four, his family moved to Rye, New York, for his father’s career.

In 1971, his parents divorced, and his father returned to Australia. He returned to Australia to spend time with his father, completing three years of school in the national capital Canberra. Michael and his sister Karyn stayed with their mother Patricia, who subsequently married jazz musician Walter Urban (1941–2011).

His stepfather frequently invited musicians to his house for jam sessions. The family moved to Los Angeles, California, where he became fascinated by the trumpet. He had no interest in rock music at the time; he idolized jazz musicians like Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie.

He described his childhood home as violent; his stepfather was an aggressive alcoholic who eventually became involved in shoot-outs with police. He said: “I grew up being terrified of my parents, particularly my father figures. It caused [me] a lot of trouble later in life.” To cope, he began smoking cannabis at 13 and became a daily user.

Flea Musician’s Dating, Wife, and Children

Michael has been married two times and has three children. From 1988 to 1990, he was married to Loesha Zeviar (Loesha’s name remains tattooed on Flea’s chest). Their daughter, Clara Balzary, was born in 1988.

Clara was featured in the band’s Funky Monks documentary. She also has appeared at many shows and, as a child, provided artwork for the band’s T-shirts and promotional material. She has also documented the band’s I’m With You tour through photographs and videos.

As an adult, Clara was most recently in the short-lived band the Tints and is also an aspiring artist and photographer, taking promotional photographs for The Getaway. In 2005, Balzary was engaged to model Frankie Rayder, who was once named GQ magazine’s sexiest woman in the world.

The couple never married however they had a child together, Sunny Bebop Balzary, who was born on October 26, 2005. The song “Hard to Concentrate” on the Chili Peppers’ 2006 album, Stadium Arcadium, was written by Kiedis as a wedding proposal to Flea and Rayder.

Peter and Rayder have since split up. In 2019, he got married for a second time when he married fashion designer Melody Ehsani. He said of Ehsani, “My life has changed forever and I am eternally humble and grateful. The person who sees all of me and knows who I am. My wife @melodyehsani.”

On July 31, 2022, Ehsani announced on her Instagram page that she was pregnant. On December 12, 2022, Ehsani gave birth to their first child together.

Flea Musician Salary

Details about his salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much he makes will be updated as soon as it is available.

Flea Musician’s Net Worth

Peter‘s net worth is estimated to be between $10 million and $50 million dollars. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income is his career as a musician and actor. Through his various sources of income, he has accumulated good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.

Flea Musician Measurements and Facts

Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Flea.

Flea Musician Wiki

• Full Name: Michael Peter Balzary
• Popular As: Flea
• Gender: Male
• Occupation / Profession: Musician and Actor
• Nationality: Australian-American
• Race / Ethnicity: White
• Religion: Not Available
• Sexual Orientation: Straight

Flea Musician Birthday

• Age: 61 years old as of 2023
• Zodiac Sign: Libra
• Date of Birth: October 16th, 1962
• Place of Birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Birthday: October 16th

Flea Musician Body Measurements

• Height / How Tall?: 5 feet 6 inches
• Weight: 70 kilograms
• Eye Color: Hazel
• Hair Color: Bald
• Shoe Size: To be Updated
• Biceps Size: To be Updated
• Waist Size: To be Updated
• Hip Size: To be Updated

Flea Musician Family and Relationship

• Father (Dad): Mick Balzary
• Mother: Patricia
• Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Karyn
• Marital Status: Married
• Dating / Wife: Married to Melody Ehsani
• Children: 3

Flea Musician’s Net Worth and Salary

• Net Worth: $1 million and $5 million
• Salary: Under review
• Source of Income: Musician and Actor

Flea Musician Career

Flea band Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded nine songs before securing a record deal with EMI. However, Slovak and Iron soon left it to pursue a career with the band ‘What is This?’ Their places were soon filled by Cliff Martinez and Jack Sherman. Except for Flea and Kiedis, members kept changing for each of the band’s albums.

In August 1984 the band came up with their debut self-titled album ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’. However, the album failed to impress. The band soon came up with their second album ‘Freaky Styley’, in 1985. It too performed averagely on the charts. They soon followed it with their third album, ‘The Uplift Mofo Party’ which became the most successful of the three albums.

While Red Hot Chili Peppers was still struggling to make a place of its own, its members were embroiled in drug addiction. Slovak’s early death due to a heroin overdose left Flea and the other members distressed. Collecting themselves, they soon started working on a new project.

Their fourth album, ‘Mother’s Milk’ was released in early 1989. Though it was panned by critics, commercially, the album was widely appreciated and rose to 52 positions on the Billboard 200. Later, it was certified gold.

Ending their contract with EMI, Red Hot Chili Peppers signed a deal with Warner Bros Records. While working on their fifth studio album ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’, Flea’s marijuana addiction augmented massively.

In 1991, the album was released to an overwhelmingly positive response. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart selling over seven million copies in the U.S. alone.
They soon followed it with their next album, ‘One Hot Minute’ in September 1995. This album opened to mixed reviews.

After the release of ‘One Hot Minute’, Flea considered the idea of having a solo career. However, he eventually abandoned the idea and instead offered his service as a bassist to other artists. Meanwhile, he also worked on the band’s next album by turning into a writer and lyricist.

‘Californication’, the band’s seventh album, was released in June 1999 to a tremendously positive response. It went on to sell 15 million copies worldwide and turned out to be the greatest hit after ‘Mother’s Milk’. The success of ‘Californication’ inspired Flea and other band members to work on their next album.

Red Hot Chili Pepper’s eighth studio album, ‘By The Way’, was released in 2002. The album was different from its contemporaries in the fact that it concentrated on melodic, textured music, an aspect not seen before. The album was positively received and became a huge hit. It sold more than nine million copies worldwide. Its resultant tour was a historic success, with the concert at London’s Hyde Park becoming the highest-grossing concert at a single venue in history.

The stupendous success of ‘By The Way’ gave a positive impetus to Flea and the band members, who started working on their ninth studio album. Titled ‘Stadium Arcadium’, the album was released in 2006 and was a big hit.

Following ‘Stadium Arcadium’ Red Hot Chili Peppers went on a long hiatus due to exhaustion. Meanwhile, Flea feeling worn out and drained enrolled himself in music classes at the University of Southern California. He studied music theory, composition, and jazz trumpet and was enthralled by the structure and technicalities of music.

In 2009, Flea joined Atoms for Peace, a supergroup formed by Radiohead singer Thom Yorke. After touring the United States, Atoms for Peace recorded their debut album, ‘Amok’ that was released years later in February 2013. Following the release, the band toured Europe, US, and Japan.

Red Hot Chili Pepper ended their hiatus in October 2009 and started working on their tenth studio album. Flea, who had thought of quitting the band before the ‘shocking’ hiatus, in his time off, contemplated whether he wanted to continue working for the band. He realized he loved his childhood friend Kiedis way too much to let go of the band. As a matter of fact, he actually wanted to continue working in it for Kiedes.

In August 2011, Red Hot Chili Peppers released their tenth studio album, ‘I’m with You’. Meanwhile, Flea did a side project with Damon Albarn and Tony Allen titled ‘Rocket Juice & the Moon’. The band came up with their maiden live performance in October 2011 followed by their debut album in March 2012.

Flea came up with his solo EP ‘Helen Burns, in July 2012. Inspired by the intricacies of music and its technicalities ever since his University days, Flea long aspired to come up with an instrumental album which he eventually did with ‘Helen Burns’. Except for its title track and ‘Lovelovelove’, the album was instrumental and marked Flea’s first solo release.

In April 2014, Flea recorded a few songs for the former Mars Volta members Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodríguez-López, and Dave Elitch for their project Antemasque. They came up with their debut self-titled album in July same year.

In 2015, news of Red Hot Chili Peppers working on their eleventh studio album began to circulate. However, Flea’s injury following a skiing trip further postponed the album. Finally almost a year and a half later, in June 2016, the band released their eleventh studio album, ‘The Getaway’.

Apart from music, Flea has also dabbled in acting. He has made film and television appearances in minor roles. Additionally, he has also done several documentaries including ‘Bob and the Master’, and ‘The Other F Word’. In 2014, he got his first major role in the film ‘Low Down’. Flea also gave a voiceover in Pixar’s ‘Inside Out’. Lately, in 2017, he made a cameo appearance in the popular sitcom ‘Family Guy

Frequently Asked Questions About Flea Musician

Michael Peter Balzary Contacts

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