[with ARMY ⑱] "Canada ARMY Never Left": How 12 Fans Built a Light Project for BTS' Toronto Return

TORONTO — Outside BTS' "ARIRANG" pop-up in Toronto ahead of the group's two concerts at Rogers Stadium, Ruth Enriquez could be seen approaching fellow ARMYs, explaining the Maple ARMY Project and encouraging fans to take part. What initially looked like a fan simply spreading the word turned out to be something more: the 24-year-old was one of the organizers behind the project.

Born and raised in Cuba and now living in Ottawa, Ruth has been an ARMY for nearly 11 years. She discovered BTS through a friend while struggling with self-love and found comfort in "Answer: Love Myself."

"I wasn't receiving many positive messages or positive energy," she recalled. "I discovered BTS through a friend of mine and fell in love with 'Answer: Love Myself.' Ever since then, I've been an ARMY."

When K-POPIT met Ruth before BTS' Aug. 22 and 23 concerts, she was preparing to see the group live for the first time after following them for more than a decade.

"It's my first time seeing them live after 11 years, so it's going to be great," she said at the time. "Toronto is the only Canadian stop, so we're going to go out with a bang."

That excitement helped lead to the Maple ARMY Project, which began with a group chat of just 12 Latino ARMYs who wanted to prepare something special for BTS' return to Canada. Ruth said the idea grew from thinking about what the members may have felt while completing their mandatory military service and spending an extended period away from the group and their fans.

"It must have been difficult for them to go to the military and wonder whether ARMY would still be there when they returned," she said. "We wanted to send them the message, 'Canada ARMY never left. We stayed, and we're here for you.'"

The Maple ARMY Project was a synchronized phone light display organized for the Toronto concerts. Participating fans entered their show date, section and seat number into an app, which assigned different colors to phone screens based on their locations in the stadium. After BTS' surprise-song segment, fans held up their phones together, turning individual screens across the stands into larger messages and visuals, including "WE NEVER LEFT."

What began among 12 fans eventually grew into a larger fan-organized effort led by Ruth, Klevy and Laura Miranda. Less than a day before the first concert, Ruth was still outside the pop-up explaining the project to other ARMYs and helping spread the word about how they could participate.

Yet when asked what she was most looking forward to after waiting 11 years to see BTS, Ruth wasn't focused on a particular song or performance.

"I just want to see their smiles and watch them laugh," she said. "I'm excited to see them be themselves and see them enjoying each other and each other's company after spending so much time apart."

For Ruth, BTS' Toronto return represented both a long-awaited first and a chance to give something back. After years of finding comfort in the group's message, she helped create one of her own for BTS alongside fellow Canadian ARMYs: They had waited, they had stayed, and they were still there.