Joni Mitchell Finishes 'Journey That Began 62 Years Ago'

Joni Mitchell just added "American citizen" to her list of titles. The New York Times reports that the 82-year-old music icon took the oath at a Tuesday ceremony, responding to "Joni Mitchell, Canada" as she stepped forward in a red beret, later posting the moment with the caption: "A journey that began 62 years ago." Mitchell moved from Canada to Detroit in the mid-1960s, then to New York, where she wrote "Chelsea Morning," and on to Los Angeles, around the time when her career took off with albums like Clouds.

Mitchell hasn't said why she chose now to formalize her status, but in a 2024 Los Angeles performance she remarked, "I wish I could vote," joking that she was "one of those lousy immigrants," a line widely read as a reference to President Trump's hard line on immigration. Rolling Stone notes that Mitchell's citizenship comes six years after another famous Canadian singer-songwriter, Mitchell pal Neil Young, became an American citizen himself.