It feels like watching a dark and heavy baseball movie. The energy radiating from the NOWZ members standing on the field in uniform is not the polished smile of an idol, but the raw, untamed passion of rough youth.
CUBE Entertainment's boy band NOWZ has declared a bold 'Play Ball' with their 3rd single album, Play Ball. We recently met NOWZ at the Cubihouse Cafe on the first floor of CUBE Entertainment in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, for a comeback interview. The members, who have reset their bats toward a career high, showed strong confidence in their new release.
HomeRun, is an EDM-based song with a fast, straight-ahead sound, true to its name. The parade-style choreography across the stage and baseball field, along with the explosive Mound Sprint performance during the dance bridge, provide viewers with thrilling catharsis. The album's musical spectrum is completed with the addition of Get Buck, an old-school hip-hop track with a strong groove, and In a World With No Names, a poignant acoustic ballad.
This promotion marks an ultra-fast comeback, just four months after their last album. Yeonwoo shared, “We worked hard to prepare, aiming to deliver fresh energy again through good music and performance.” Siyun added, “It’s our first time attempting the EDM genre. We challenged ourselves, and we hope people will love it.”
The core keyword running throughout this album is without a doubt “Play Ball.” Hyunbin explained, “Like the umpire shouting ‘Play Ball’ before a game, it signifies NOWZ stepping toward a new challenge. It also expresses the ambition to hit a home run in NOWZ’s career.” Siyun added, “Instead of the typical refreshing baseball image, we interpreted it with hip-hop to express our own color. Baseball fits NOWZ's current timing.”
The members creatively matched their personalities to baseball positions. Ace Yun became the Designated Hitter, Yeonwoo and Jinhyuk—who control the flow—took Pitcher and Catcher, quick-witted Siyun became the Infielder, and leader Hyunbin, with his wide perspective, became the Outfielder, showing their chemistry.
The members' sincerity was deeply reflected in the album. Yeonwoo shared, “All members challenged themselves to write lyrics and compose music and actively participated in performance creation.” Jinhyuk said, “The members’ opinions were reflected even in visual elements like hair and outfits, which deepened our unique identity.”
Jinhyuk, who joined the title track’s writing process, said, “I included the mindset of a baseball player in the lyric, ‘Turn on the TV, this game has begun.’” Siyun added that Get Buck “directly expresses the ambition of being a game changer.”
An interesting element is that the baseball-themed concept connects with the members’ real-life experiences. About their comeback during baseball’s off-season, Yun wittily said, “Baseball is always a topic of public interest, and we want to help promote it.” Yun and Siyun mentioned watching Hanwha Eagles and Doosan Bears games and said they are immersed in baseball content like Strongest Baseball.
Yeonwoo, nicknamed “Cube Ohtani,” shared, “I was impressed seeing Ohtani pick up trash. I wanted to learn that mindset.”
Their internal growth and achievements are just as clear as their external changes. When asked about NOWZ’s current stage, Yeonwoo said, “It’s been a year and a half since our debut, so we’re in about the 2nd or 3rd inning.” He added, “We successfully completed our first mini-album after rebranding, and we will solidify our position with this album.”
Jinhyuk said their biggest achievement was the members rallying together during rebranding. He also said that their selection as a Billboard “Super Rookie” and performing at events like Waterbomb proved that they are “a talented group.”
The biggest weapon they cite is, without a doubt, teamwork. Yeonwoo said, “We have a lot of time to communicate, so the synergy on stage is great.” Siyun shared, “The spirit of challenge, where we harmonize our differences and make every genre our own color, is our strength.”
Advice from their senior labelmate, (G)I-DLE’s Yuqi —“You should make the music that you are capable of”—also became a great source of strength.
The bottom of the 2nd inning, NOWZ’s full-fledged “Play Ball,” has a clear goal. Yeonwoo said, “If the last album was about growth, this time the goal is charting on music platforms and achieving a career high.”
But more than numbers, what they want is sustainability. Yun said, “The real success is to continue long-term without setbacks and to make a positive impact on the public.” He added, “We want people to say, ‘Why didn’t I know about NOWZ sooner?’”
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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