The Underscore: Behind the custom music of ESPN

Krista Ent. is an Arizona-based musician, producer, and drummer who has created some awesome music that can be heard on ESPN. She graciously took some time out to talk to us about her humble beginnings and creative inspiration.

Tell us a bit about where you are from, your musical background, and what kind of music you make?

I'm from Louisville, KY. I make orchestral hip-hop beats and downtempo instrumentals. I started playing drums/percussion and singing as a kid. For as long as I can remember, I've always loved making music and I played drums and sang in church for about 10 years. I was in my school orchestra for 3 years, was in marching band for 1 year, and then I started producing in 2017.

Has your upbringing influenced your music in any way? If so, how?

Yes, absolutely. I was around music all the time as a kid. My family was very active in the church when I was growing up. I grew up in a very small African American community in West Louisville. My aunt and mother were both choir directors, so I spent a lot of time listening to the drum parts in songs they wanted me to learn. I've also always loved musicals like Little Shop of Horrors and The Sound of Music, so things like that also helped me develop my musical ear.

What projects have you worked on with ESPN and which one was your favorite?

I've worked on two projects so far. The first one was a southern hip-hop disc in the beginning of 2020 and the second was an Urban Symphonic disc I just finished in June this year. My favorite would probably have to be the first project; mainly because it was my first time being asked to make a disc for TV so that was really cool and exciting! The second disc allowed me to challenge myself a lot more, which I love because it helps me better so that was really awesome too.

Tell us about the creative process of one of the projects you have done for us? What were your inspiration points?

The last project I worked on was really cool because I got to use elements from classical pieces by legendary composers like Beethoven and Bach. For each track I created, I made an original beat of my own and then used a few elements from these classical pieces to highlight parts of my composition. I was totally inspired while working on this project because I've heard many of these classical pieces in major films before, which encouraged me to really try and come up with something that would captivate the listener.

Were there any challenges when making this disc and are you happy with the results?

The biggest challenge for me was selecting which parts I wanted to use for my track. A lot of classical pieces are split into multiple songs with some being as long as 15 minutes each. With so much to choose from, it was challenging for me to find elements I felt would fit in best for the final track. But that was a part of the fun.

Any advice for any young aspiring musicians/composers?

The best advice I can give anyone is to focus on seeing yourself being and having whatever you want. If you can do that long enough, you'll start to see pieces of what you visualize come into your reality.

Manifestation is key! Thanks, Krista, for telling your story.

Krista is releasing music every week on all streaming platforms and is active on Spotify and Instagram.

Come back next month for another great music story. Until next time, check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify for your ESPNMusic fix.