Joni Mitchell has become a United States citizen at 82, more than six decades after she first moved to the country from Canada, she said on Instagram.
Zoom in: Mitchell posted footage of her citizenship ceremony along with a photo of herself next to an American flag, captioned "A journey that began 62 years ago."
- The change means she can vote in US elections, something she had complained about. At a 2024 concert she said: "I wish I could vote ... I’m a Canadian, I’m one of those lousy immigrants."
The backstory: Mitchell was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, in 1943 and settled with her family in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her earliest gigs were folk clubs there, then Calgary and Toronto, where she met US folk singer Chuck Mitchell. They married in 1965 and she moved to the US.
- That marriage ended two years later, by which time she had established herself on the vibrant US folk circuit. She released her debut album in 1968 and used its royalties to move to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles.
The big picture: In Laurel Canyon she recorded Ladies of the Canyon, her first gold-selling album. She has stayed based in California ever since and now lives in Santa Barbara.
Yes, but: Her most recent studio album is Shine, from 2007, and she spent years out of public view after a 2015 brain aneurysm that required extensive recovery.
What's next: Mitchell returned to live performance with an unannounced set at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival and has since played several all-star Joni Jam concerts. Director Cameron Crowe is preparing a biopic, and record executive Clive Davis said this year that Meryl Streep would play her.
Why it matters: One of the most-covered songwriters in American music spent 62 years in the country as a resident rather than a citizen. The ceremony hands her a ballot weeks before the US midterm elections.
