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: \u201cA journey that began 62 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
It means that Mitchell can now vote in US elections, something that she had complained she wasn\u2019t able to do.<\/p>\n
At a concert in 2024, Mitchell said: \u201cFuck Donald Trump, I love that song,\u201d referring to the rap track by YG. She added: \u201cI wish I could vote … I\u2019m a Canadian. I\u2019m one of those lousy immigrants.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
Folk original \u2026 Joni Mitchell in 1968. Photograph: Jack Robinson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
She released her debut album in 1968, and soon after, using the album\u2019s royalties, moved to Los Angeles\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s 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 \u201cJoni Jam\u201d concerts.<\/p>\n