Joni Mitchell becomes US citizen: ‘A journey that began 62 years ago’

Joni Mitchell has become a US citizen, after first moving to the country in the mid-1960s. The Canada-born singer-songwriter, 82, posted footage of her citizenship ceremony on her Instagram account, along with a photo of her next to an American flag, accompanied by the caption: “A journey that began 62 years ago.”

It means that Mitchell can now vote in US elections, something that she had complained she wasn’t able to do.

At a concert in 2024, Mitchell said: “Fuck Donald Trump, I love that song,” referring to the rap track by YG. She added: “I wish I could vote ... I’m a Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants.”

Mitchell was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, in 1943, and eventually settled with her family in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her earliest gigs were at folk clubs there, followed by Calgary and Toronto, where she met US folk singer Chuck Mitchell. They married in 1965 and Mitchell moved to the US. The marriage didn’t last, ending two years later, but by that time Mitchell had established herself as a mellifluous, original voice on the vibrant US folk music circuit.

She released her debut album in 1968, and soon after, using the album’s royalties, moved to Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon where she recorded her first gold-selling album, Ladies of the Canyon. She remained based in California and currently lives in Santa Barbara.

Mitchell’s most recent studio album is Shine, from 2007. After that she spent a number of years out of the public eye, suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015 that required extensive recovery. But she returned to live performance in 2022 with an unannounced set at the Newport folk festival, and has since performed a number of all-star “Joni Jam” concerts.

A biopic about her is being prepared by director Cameron Crowe, who began work on it in the early 2020s. Earlier this year, record executive Clive Davis announced at a party that Meryl Streep would play Mitchell in the film.