Our Story:
Nearly three decades of music, marriage and an independent life in the arts
Gypsy Soul began with two musicians from different parts of the world meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland — and discovering that they wanted to build not only music together, but a life.
British-born Roman Morykit had been playing music since childhood, beginning with classical piano before becoming a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. After working as a sought-after studio musician in London and playing fretless bass with Raising Cain, who signed with A&M Records, he moved north to Edinburgh in search of something new.
Canadian-born Cilette Swann arrived there by an entirely different route. A singer and lyricist with a nearly four-octave range, she had spent years traveling through Europe and living in Paris, where she sang with French jazz artist Alain Mion.
They met. They began writing together. And very quickly, music became love.
Marriage eventually took them to Los Angeles, where Gypsy Soul was born and a partnership that had started almost by accident became a way of life.
From the beginning, they chose an unusual path.
Rather than wait for a record company to determine their future, Cilette and Roman built their career independently — recording their own albums, producing their own concerts, touring thousands of miles and creating direct relationships with the people who connected with their music. The approach was unconventional long before “independent artist” became a familiar business model.
As the Seattle P-I observed, “It’s clear that Gypsy Soul embraces the DIY ethic more thoroughly than many of today’s indie rock bands.”
Nearly three decades later, that decision has resulted in 15 independently produced albums, more than 1.6 million downloads, a Top 40 Adult Contemporary hit with “Silent Tears,” and critical recognition from more than 75 publications. Their music has appeared in television series including Providence, Roswell, Felicity, Beverly Hills 90210 and Days of Our Lives, as well as feature films.
They have toured throughout the United States and Europe and shared stages with artists including The Doobie Brothers, John Taylor of Duran Duran and Edie Brickell.
But statistics have never been the most interesting part of the Gypsy Soul story.
The music is.
Their sound has always resisted easy categorization. Acoustic rock, soul, pop, folk, blues, jazz and Celtic influences find their way into Roman’s layered arrangements and Cilette’s emotionally direct lyrics and vocals. One song may be sparse and intimate; another expansive and cinematic. The common thread is the unmistakable sound of two people who have spent decades listening to one another.
As Hits Daily Double described them, theirs is “a musical marriage that spans the globe,” with music rooted in rock, soul, country, folk and blues.
That marriage — musical and otherwise — has also given Gypsy Soul something difficult to manufacture: a story behind the songs.
Their concerts have never simply been a succession of performances. Cilette and Roman talk about where the songs came from, the people they have met, the roads they have traveled, the risks they have taken, and the unexpected turns that come with building a creative life together. Humor, vulnerability and storytelling have become as integral to a Gypsy Soul evening as the music itself.
Perhaps that is why the word that has followed them through their career is authentic.
Their music has been recognized by the Independent Music Awards, International Acoustic Music Awards, Performing Songwriter, Just Plain Folks and others, including honors for songs such as “Angel From Montgomery,” “Soul of a Girl” and “Mirabelle.” Yet Cilette and Roman have remained committed to the same idea that brought them together in Scotland: make the work honestly, do it well, and build a life around what matters.
Today, Gypsy Soul continues to record, perform and connect with audiences both onstage and through their intimate Front Row With Gypsy Soul LIFEStream concerts.
And as they approach their 30th anniversary, the story feels less like a retrospective than another beginning.
After all these years, Gypsy Soul remains what it has always been:
Two people. A life built around music. And real songs played by real musicians in real time.