ABOUT WILLIE RAY LEWIS
"I am currently in the studio writing and composing my second album of music for film and tv, entitled "Virus." My aspiration is to work as a lead composer for a television series or film, and I intend to reach that goal through continuing to seek opportunities to write, compose, assist and network with peers in the composer community. My influences are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network/The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo/Gone Girl), Cliff Martinez (The Hotel Artemis/Game Night/Den Of Thieves/Solaris), Johann Johannsson (The Arrival/Sicario/The Theory of Everything) and Mac Quayle (American Horror Story/Mr. Robot/American Crime Story), all with whom I share the same goal: to seamlessly combine electronic technology with acoustic instruments, creating the essential backdrop of sounds to enhance the viewer's emotional experience for the projects they score."
- Willie Ray Lewis, November 2021
BIO
Willie Ray Lewis was born in Washington D.C. It was clear to his mother at the age of 8 that he had an inclination toward the piano when she found him tapping out songs on her mother's piano that he heard on the radio by ear. Piano lessons began thereafter and continued until the age of 15 when he discovered a record his sister purchased called "Trans Europe Express," by Kraftwerk. Already fascinated by the synthesizer sounds he heard listening to his parents' Stevie Wonder records, it was clear that there was a love budding for the unconventional sounds of electronic music that he continues to incorporate in his music today.
A love for the art of Film propelled Willie to study it, and he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Production at the University of Maryland at College Park. It was during this time that he acquired an internship at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. in the audio/visual department. There were radio, television and film programs being produced here, and Willie, after several unsuccessful attempts, was able to push hard enough to get his music heard, eventually becoming NASA's staff composer, where he scored "Frontiers," a local radio show, as well as numerous television and short films produced for NASA. His score for "The Video File," still airs today on NASA TV.
In 2006, Willie's composer reel was selected out of several hundred applicants to be showcased at NYFEN's (New York Film Exposure Network) annual gala. "This was a pinnacle moment for me," he says. "It reminded me that I have a voice and to stick with it."
After moving to Los Angeles, Willie continued as a freelance composer for NASA, and began vigorously pursuing a career as a composer and producer, acquiring a freelance position with Elias Arts Music in Santa Monica. He also went on to score for student films, indie films, and theatrical trailers. As a producer, Willie produced "Imagine Paradise," an album for Tony Award Winner Levi Kreis that charted in the top ten electronic albums on iTunes. He worked with several recording artists, and continued on to join forces with long-time Madonna backup singer Donna DeLory as a producer, remixer and touring keyboardist. It was this experience, along with meeting and performing with Donna's then keyboardist and now respected Emmy Winning composer Mac Quayle (Autism In Love/Cold Case/American Horror Story/Mr. Robot/Feud), that inspired Willie to set his sights on exclusively becoming a composer.
Says Willie, “I dug deep and began to study and research all of my influences, as early as Wendy Carlos, Philip Glass and Klaus Shulze to today's modern composers such as Hans Zimmer, Marco Beltrami, Junkie XL, Cliff Martinez and Mac Quayle of course. But it wasn’t until I watched my “electronic idols” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross walk across the Oscar stage to receive their award for the electronic score to The Social Network that I truly believed there was a voice to be heard from today’s up-and-coming electronic composers. I continued to explore the combination of non-conventional sounds with organic tones, and this defines who I am as a composer.”
Willie continues to work as a composer, music producer and as the keyboardist in Donna DeLory's band. In 2018 he contributed keyboards and programming on Donna DeLory's new album, "Here In Heaven," as well as Nikki Haris and Donna Delory's EP "Two Friends." Additionally, Willie was selected as a freelance composer for Human Worldwide, a major player in commercial music production based in Santa Monica.
In May 2017, Willie completed his first solo album, "The Vagus Nerve," a seven-track EP of electronic compositions for film and television. In 2019, he attracted his first job as a film composer, working with Director Sonia Sebastian on her comedy film, “A/C.” In November 2021, Willie will release his second album, a “soundtrack to a pandemic” - a dark, cinematic work entitled “Virus.”