OKTAELER: Unfiltered Ypsilanti Energy

The Family 734 Radio Run Contest is built to highlight artists from Washtenaw County who are ready to step forward with records that can move a crowd and make an impact. One of the finalists stepping onto the stage is OKTAELER, also known as TaeTaeGoinCrazy, representing Ypsilanti with a sound that refuses to fit neatly into one box. For OKTAELER, music has been a part of life for nearly two decades. She first started playing drums about 18 years ago, and that early connection to rhythm eventually evolved into producing and recording her own music. Over time, that background helped shape a style that blends multiple influences into something unique.

When asked how she describes her sound, OKTAELER puts it simply: “CityPop or TrapPop… if those genres exist.”

It’s a fitting description for an artist whose influences stretch across completely different musical worlds. From Deftones and Slipknot to Young Dolph, Drakeo the Ruler, Rick James, Michael Jackson, Lil Wayne, and Jeezy, her music pulls energy from rock, funk, hip hop, and trap. The result is a sound designed to feel unpredictable but still rooted in strong rhythm and attitude. For the Radio Run Contest, OKTAELER is bringing a record called “Ziploc.” The song was sparked by a familiar kind of moment many people experience but rarely address directly.

“You ever have one of those moments where you hear something through the wind and you don’t even waste your breath defending yourself because you already know what the truth is?” she explains. “That type of energy is what sparked Ziploc for sure.”

That perspective carries through her music in general. For OKTAELER, the goal isn’t to create something passive. Her music is meant to trigger a reaction from listeners and pull them into the moment.

“I want people to jump, bounce, get turned up, forget about them bills for a minute or that mean ex that got you insecure and just escape,” she says. “If it don’t make you feel something, it ain’t by Taeler.”

Beyond the contest record, OKTAELER’s latest release, “Parlay,” carries its own story of resilience. The song was written about five years ago while she was returning to Ypsilanti from Las Vegas during a difficult stretch in life. At the time, she says she was down to almost nothing, staying in a hotel with only a few nights booked and very little money left. But by the time checkout came around, the situation had completely turned around. That moment of survival and comeback energy became the foundation for the song.

Despite the ups and downs that come with pursuing music, OKTAELER remains deeply connected to the place that shaped her.

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“Ypsi has been my city since day one,” she says. “I feel like I am 734.”

That pride in representing Ypsilanti is part of what makes this moment meaningful as she prepares to perform in front of a live crowd at the Family 734 Radio Run Contest. The event brings together artists, DJs, and fans from across Washtenaw County to discover which record connects the most in the room. For anyone considering coming out to the event, OKTAELER promises a night where the music speaks for itself and people from different backgrounds come together around the same energy. Fans can follow OKTAELER across all platforms @oktaeler to stay tapped in with her music and upcoming releases.

And when the contest stage lights turn on, she’ll be ready to bring that same Ypsilanti energy with her.