Joni Mitchell becomes a U.S. citizen: a journey that began 62 years ago

The 82-year-old Canadian-born singer and songwriter posted images from her citizenship ceremony on Instagram, including a photo of herself beside the American flag captioned "A journey that began 62 years ago." This means Mitchell can now vote in U.S. elections, something she had complained she was unable to do […]

Joni Mitchell became a US citizen after immigrating to this country in the mid-1960s. The 82-year-old Canadian-born singer-songwriter posted pictures of her citizenship ceremony along with a photo of herself next to an American flag with the caption, "A journey that began 62 years ago."

This means Mitchell can now vote in US elections, something he had complained he was unable to do.

At a concert in 2024, Mitchell said, referring to YG's rap song, "Damn Donald Trump, I love that song." He added: "I wish I could vote... I'm a Canadian. I'm one of those evil immigrants."

Mitchell was born in Fort McLeod, Alberta in 1943 and eventually settled with his family in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His first gigs were in local clubs there, followed by Calgary and Toronto, where he met American folk singer Chuck Mitchell. They married in 1965 and Mitchell moved to the United States. The marriage didn't last and ended two years later, but by then Mitchell had established herself as a quiet, original voice on the vibrant US country music circuit.

She released her first album in 1968 and soon after used the album royalty to move to Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon, where she recorded her first gold-selling album, Ladies of the Canyon. He resided in California and currently resides in Santa Barbara.

The latest studio album by Mitchell Derakhsh is produced in 2007. After that, he spent several years out of the public eye, suffering from a brain aneurysm in 2015 that required extensive recovery. But he returned to performing live in 2022 with an unannounced set at the Newport Folk Festival and has played a number of Johnny Jam concerts since then.

A biopic about him is being prepared by director Cameron Crowe, which 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.