Longtime U.S. resident Joni Mitchell should now be referred to as newly sworn-in U.S. citizen Joni Mitchell. In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday with the caption “A journey that began 62 years ago,” the Canada-born Mitchell is seen making her dual citizenship official while a crowd applauds. Pitchfork has reached out to Mitchell’s representatives and Brandi Carlile for comment. (If any New York Times Greatest Living American Songwriters list editors are reading, we also await a well-deserved update.)
Her decision to naturalize her citizenship isn’t exactly an endorsement for the U.S.’ current political regime. The musician has openly opposed President Donald Trump, noting during a “Joni Jam” performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 2024, “Fuck Donald Trump. I wish I could vote…I’m a Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants.”
Mitchell has also been critical of Canada’s government over the years. A statement on her website from 2006 noted that “while she still sees herself as a Canadian first—she is both a Canadian and U.S. citizen—Ms. Mitchell believes the country is sliding dangerously close to assimilation with the U.S., politically, economically and culturally.”
Born in Alberta and raised in Saskatoon from the time she was nine, Mitchell first came to the United States in the mid-1960s, settling in Detroit after her marriage to Chuck Mitchell. She lived briefly in New York before moving to Los Angeles in 1968, where she would become a leading figure in the burgeoning Laurel Canyon folk scene. She currently lives in Santa Barbara.
Revisit the feature Joni Mitchell: Her Art and Life in 33 Songs.