Steve Badiola is one of the most recognizable voices in the local emo scene as the frontman of rock band Typecast. Since 1999, they have released catchy emotive tunes, from “Will You Ever Learn,” “Another Minute Until Ten,” “Last Time,” and many more. Hailing from Laguna, Badiola was mentored by producers like Raymund Marasigan and Diego Castillo, who in particular taught him how to perform better in recording during studio sessions for their album The Infatuation is Always There back in 2004.
For more than a quarter of a century in the band, Badiola learned how to expand his skillset beyond emo. He explores folk music as well as post-rock elements in latter songs, continuing to evolve with his bandmates. Last April 2025, the band performed alongside Urbandub for a milestone show at the New Frontier Theater.
In the latest episode of Rolling Stone Philippines Greatest Hits, Badiola brought up how their biggest hit, “Will You Ever Learn,” is a song that he sometimes leaves out of the setlist in some live shows.
“May love-hate [kami sa “Will You Ever Learn”],” Badiola says. “Kasi kahit ‘yung mga ibang artist na meron silang hit na everyday nila tinutugtog, at some point, magsasawa ka talaga. Minsang tinanggal namin sa set for a few months. Meron siyang weird na pakiramdam na parang hindi kompleto ‘yung set namin ‘pag wala ‘yung kanta na ‘yan. So, tiniis ko ‘yun for a few months. Tapos, kinukulit na ako ng mga kabanda ko na parang, ‘Tugtugin na natin ulit ‘yun.’ Bitin eh.”
Badiola adds that throughout the years, with the continuous flow of inspiration to write more music, he doesn’t want all of this effort to be reduced to just one big song.
“‘Yung effort ko compared dun sa ‘Will You Ever Learn’ and dun sa ibang songs ko,” he says, “Ito ‘yung parang middle child na kumbaga. Pero I’m not saying I don’t like it. Habang tumatanda ka parang nagiging love mo lahat ng mga creations mo.”
Experimenting With Genre and Lyrics
Badiola has explored other avenues to try out different types of music. Through his other project, singmetosleep, he was able to experiment with other genres but he would always go back to using an acoustic guitar.
“Mahilig ako sa EDM e. Kumbaga secret fan ako ng drum and bass at saka minimal,” he says. “Tapos, lagi akong nag-fo-folk music kasi ‘yun ‘yung pinakamadaling i-record. Mas ma-drama siya kaysa sa electric guitar. ‘Yung [acoustic guitar] ang main instrument dun sa solo project.”
In the song “Home,” released in 2020, Badiola dedicates the song to his wife due to how much he attributes his sobriety to her. As they grow older, Typecast wanted to write more themes about adulthood. Steve would say that there were “juvenile” themes in older Typecast material, and he continues to evolve by talking about topics of mental health in songs like “Perfect Posture” back in 2018.
“Dito sa atin sa Pilipinas, parang hindi masyadong pinapansin ‘yung anxieties ng tao,” he says. “Para mabigay ‘yung emotions na ‘yun, kailangan malapatan siya ng magandang melody. So, for me, ‘yun ‘yung pinakapasok na tunog para ma-serve at magkaron ng mas malaking effect ‘yung words para sa tao; parang mas maintindihan nila kung gaano dapat hindi gawing joke ‘yung mental health.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Steve Badiola of Typecast’s greatest hits are “Will You Ever Learn,” “Another Minute Until Ten,” and “Last Time.”
Frontman Steve Badiola hails from Laguna, and Typecast has been active since 1999.
Typecast’s Steve Badiola’s solo project is called singmetosleep.
Typecast performed alongside Urbandub for a milestone show at the New Frontier Theater in April 2025.
The producers for Typecast’s The Infatuation is Always There is Raymund Marasigan and Diego Castillo.
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