Ray Lema was born in the former Kingdom of Kongo, in the west of what is today called the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the age of 11, he entered the minor seminary of the White Fathers. He wanted to become a priest. Fate decided otherwise. As soon as they arrived at the seminary, the children had to go through aptitude tests, and the Fathers quickly noticed the natural dispositions of young Lema for music. A Belgian father decided to initiate him to the organ and the piano. His seminary studies, therefore, were accompanied by Gregorian chants, Mozart, and Chopin. He served mass for several years on an old organ "where he was pedaling hard."

He was 14 when the Belgian Congo became independent and reverted to just the "Congo" of Patrice Lumumba, then the "Zaire" of Mobutu. He left the seminary and later joined the University of Kinshasa, where he studied chemistry.

Pianos were quite impossible to find in Zaire, so he learned to play the guitar and discovered the Beatles, Hendrix, Django Reinhardt, and the American jazzmen. He left the University to be the guitar player of a famous band in Kinshasa, led by the singer Gerard Kazembe. He then discovered the nights of Kinshasa and met the stars of Congolese music which at the time made the whole of Africa dance (Tabu Ley Rochereau, Kabasele…).

In 1974, Ray Lema was appointed Music Director of the National Ballet of Zaire with the mission to recruit and manage the traditional musicians who were to accompany the dancers of the National Ballet, representatives of the diversity and richness of the country. This experience changed his life and his vision of music forever. He traveled the country in all directions, from the Rainforest to Kivu, from Bas Congo to Katanga through the Kasai regions in search of the Masters of Congo traditional music. He discovered the science and magic of traditional rhythmic wheels and turned himself into a Master Drummer.

After a deep disagreement with the Presidency of Mobutu, in 1979 he left for the USA, invited by the Rockefeller Foundation. He only went back 32 years later to what is today called the "Democratic Republic of Congo."

His departure for the United States also marks the beginning of a brilliant international career. He finally settled in France in 1982, where he has since resided.

Curious about all music, a precursor and always ready for all musical experiments, Ray Lema became famous in the mid-80s in the World Music scene, which was at the time discovering African music. He participated in various collaborations which enriched his compositions and his musical universe: from Stewart Copeland (ex-drummer of The Police) to the Bulgarian Voices, through the Tyour Gnawa from Essaouira (Morocco), the Chamber Orchestra of Sundsvall in Sweden, or with Brazilian singer and composer Chico César, and more recently as a soloist guest with the Jazz Sinfonica Orchestra from São Paulo.

This relentless pursuit to meet "the Other" gives Ray Lema a completely unclassifiable profile. He has published around twenty albums, all different from each other, however, marked by a very personal musical language, witnesses of the musical encounters of this amazing traveler-musician and perpetual student, as he likes to call himself.

He composes regularly for theater and movie trailers and has received several awards for his entire career (including a Django d'Or).

Music education in Africa remains a priority, and he frequently organizes workshops with young musicians and produces many artists from his continent.

On stage, Ray Lema gives concerts of piano solo, performs in an Afro-jazz trio or quintet (see the Quintet of his latest album, "Very Special New VSNP-production – with Etienne Mbappe on bass, Irving Acao on sax, Nicolas Viccaro on drums, and Sylvain Gontard on trumpet – released in January 2013), or with his big band the Saka Saka Orchestra, where the groove flirts with flamboyant afro-beat, blues, and Kongo rock and sensitive ballads.

He is always open to new encounters, and we'll find him in the summer of 2013 at the "Festival du Bout du Monde" together with the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Brest, or with his Quintet and a Brass Band for the "Festival d'Île de France" in the autumn, a new vocal trio (with Fredy Massamba and Ballou Canta) accompanied by the Brazilian guitar player Rodrigo Viana at the end of 2013, and in 2014 he will present a totally new creation for the string quartet "Déséquilibres" from Marseille, led by violinist Agnes Pyka.