It ain’t over until it’s over — in baseball and in K-pop — says rookie boy band NOWZ. And that’s why the quintet keeps pushing forward, dreaming of its own grand home run one day.

“What I learned while watching a baseball game recently was that nobody knows what will happen even a few moments later,” said member Siyun during a roundtable interview at Cube Entertainment’s headquarters in eastern Seoul on Thursday, ahead of the release of NOWZ’s third single, “Play Ball.”

“I saw a team that was winning suddenly lose its lead after I stepped away for a quick break, and vice versa. It reminded me of how K-pop works,” Siyun continued, adding that the game also underscored the importance of teamwork for him.

Baseball is the core theme of NOWZ’s new single, “Play Ball,” led by the fitting track “HomeRUN.” In the music video, the members appear in baseball caps and perform on a pitching mound, singing, “The game has started / Fly to the end of the sky.”

“Play Ball” comes about four months after the group released its first EP, “Ignition.” Alongside the lead track, the single has two B-sides, “Get Buck” and “Run with you.”

“In our previous album, we talked about the beginning of our journey as young people,” said Hyeonbin. “This time, that story continues, but we’re now starting to prove what we had promised.”

Yeonwoo, meanwhile, has been channeling his inner Shohei Ohtani, the baseball megastar known for picking up trash “to pick up the luck others have left behind.”

“He’s both a batter and a pitcher — I want to become an all-rounder on stage like him as well,” said Yeonwoo, as his bandmates chimed in to describe him as “the most exemplary” among the team. Yeonwoo has also been praised for his warm greetings and good manners.

NOWZ, consisting of Hyeonbin, Yoon, Yeonwoo, Jinhyuk and Siyun, debuted in April 2024 with its first single, “Nowadays.” It is Cube Entertainment’s first new boy band in eight years since Pentagon, and its first new group in six years since i-dle.

The boy band announced an official rebranding in June from its original name, Nowadays, to NOWZ, which was initially a nickname given to the group by fans. And with the new name came new momentum, as the quintet performed at KCON LA in August and at Waterbomb Macau 2025 in November.

“Those were the stages that we always dreamed of performing on when we were trainees,” said Jinhyuk. He added that because the members had always envisioned those moments, rather than being nervous, they could “enjoy the moment as it is.”

The members have been studying foreign languages to better connect with international fans, with Hyeonbin and Yeonwoo learning Japanese, Jinhyuk and Sihyun English and Yoon Chinese.

That effort has begun to pay off, with the group’s June single “Fly to the youth,” featuring i-dle’s Yuqi, topping the new releases chart on China’s QQ Music.

“We’re very grateful to Yuqi who made it possible,” said Yoon. “We hope to return the favor to her someday.”

NOWZ is a team that is not afraid to take on new challenges, the members say, something showcased through an expanding musical range.

“What keeps us moving forward is our determination to never back down from challenges and to keep stepping forward without fearing failure,” said Yeonwoo.

Looking back on the group’s year-and-a-half journey so far, Siyun admitted that things weren’t as rosy as he initially imagined before debut. But just like in baseball, a comeback is always possible.

“I’m proud of my team and our teamwork, so when the results weren’t coming in as I had expected, I used to wonder why,” Siyun shared. “But now, I’ve learned how much room we have left to improve and how big the world is. Instead of getting frustrated, I’ve realized how much potential we have as a team. That’s why we’re working even harder now, thinking about how we can keep moving upward.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]