Romain Gutsy is a French singer-songwriter whose jazz tinged, folky chansons charm with their smoke filled gruffness and a friendly joie de vivre with every raspy note.
Influenced by Jacques Brel, Leonard Cohen and Nina Simone, Romain Gutsy is an authentic craftsman writing songs for God and The Devil, with the knack of finding humour in tragedy and drama in the mundane. His songs paint vivid pictures of people you’ve never met, places you’ve never been and love affairs you’re yet to have.
Romain started his career in the 90s, singing and playing accordion with the French band Les Affamés and guitar in the Celtic band Daffy Plays Mandola. After a quarter century of musical activity, during which he has traveled the world and played with the Grammy winning alt-Rock band Soul Asylum and American singer Calvin Russel, he has also released a solo album under the name of THE RED, titled Whatever Says the Clock (2020), featuring songs based on classical American and Irish poetry. His second solo album, When Leonard Met Dolly (2022), along with a collection of singles, was made in collaboration with producer Marc Bentel.
“When I was 4, I used to pass by a music shop close to my home. In the window was an electric guitar that so fascinated me that I begged my mother to buy it for me. I knew I was meant to be a guitar player and a rock singer. I also took classical piano lessons at school. The world of music opened up when my uncle taught me a few chords on the guitar and I started missing classes to go playing in the subway. The subway is very formative: you have to be good, as people have no tolerance for anything less. You also have to face people, and overcome any shyness. And certainly you have to run fast when the police show up. I started playing in bands in Paris, singing from time to time. That was the end of the beginning.”