Joni Mitchell took the oath of U.S. citizenship, ending a “journey that began 62 years ago.”

When The New York Times published its list of the greatest living American songwriters earlier this year, the ranking drew strong reader backlash for omitting Joni Mitchell. At the time, the paper explained that Mitchell, though she mostly lived in California, was and remained a Canadian citizen, and therefore […]

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When The New York Times released its list of America's Greatest Living Songwriters earlier this year, the ranking was met with criticism by many readers for not including Joni Mitchell. The newspaper's explanation at the time was that Mitchell was — and remains — a Canadian citizen despite living primarily in California.

Now, the Times may need to update and amend the list, as the legendary singer-songwriter is now a US citizen.

His simple explanation: "A journey that began 62 years ago."

No further information was available from Mitchell or his representatives about the unexpected move to dual citizenship after more than six decades.

Some may wonder why Mitchell has officially aligned himself with the US now, of all time, given that so many musicians of his generation and ilk have commented that the Trump era has not been America's proudest moment. But it's possible that the current climate has something or everything to do with his decision.

Two years ago, at an appearance in front of Johnny Jam at the Hollywood Bowl, Mitchell said, "Damn Donald Trump," before adding, "I wish I could vote... I'm a Canadian. I'm one of those nasty immigrants."

Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson in 1943 in Fort McLeod, Alberta. His family moved to Saskatoon when he was 9 years old. Biographies usually place her move to the United States in 1965, when she married Chuck Mitchell and they moved to Detroit, where they both became part of the folk scene. He made his New York debut in Gaslight the following year, then moved to the city in 1967 after a divorce. He moved to the Laurel Canyon area of ​​Los Angeles in 1968 and then moved to Bel Air in 1975.

But he had close ties to Canada, and in the midst of his adventures in the United States, he set up residence in British Columbia around the time "Blue" was released in 1971. More recently, she has been known to host private "Joni Jams" with other musicians in the Santa Barbara area.

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