Joni Mitchell is now an American citizen, six decades after moving to the US

Joni Mitchell/Instagram

Joni Mitchell has finally become an American citizen, more than 60 years after leaving her native Canada .

The legendary singer-songwriter posted a picture of herself holding a US flag at the naturalization ceremony on Tuesday, with the caption: “A journey that began 62 years ago.”

In the image shared with her more than 1 million Instagram followers, a smiling Mitchell wore a red beret and sunglasses, and extra stars and stripes pinned to her cardigan lapel.

Mitchell, who turns 83 next month and was using a walking stick, also posted a short video clip from the ceremony, in which she was applauded by others gathered in the room.

Born in Fort Macleod in Alberta, Canada, in 1943, Mitchell will continue to have a Canadian passport as both countries allow residents to hold dual citizenship.

The iconic artist, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys in 2002, is best known for 1970s hits such as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Blue,” “Amelia” and “Woodstock.”

She studied commercial art in Alberta before moving to Toronto in 1964, where she performed at local folk club and coffee houses. Then, during a brief marriage to folk singer Chuck Mitchell, she lived in Detroit before eventually relocating to New York City. It was there that she made her eponymous album, also known as “Song to a Seagull.”

Mitchell, who has 19 studio albums and six live records to her name, later moved to Los Angeles, where she settled in the city’s Laurel Canyon before later moving to Bel Air.

It is unclear why Mitchell chose this time, when relations between Canada and the US are particularly strained, to become an American. She was widely reported to have taken a swipe at President Donald Trump while performing at the Hollywood Bowl ahead of the last presidential election in 2024.

According to media reports at the time, the noted protest singer encouraged her audience to go to the polls: “Everybody get out and vote. This is an important one. I wish I could vote — I’m Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants.”

Jack Robinson/Archive Photos/Getty Images

In pictures: Legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell

Mitchell has suffered from a series of health problems in recent years, including a stroke and a brain aneurysm in 2015.

Her health setbacks did not stop her from performing at the 2024 Grammys, where she won the award for best folk album for her 2023 release “Joni Mitchell at Newport.” This year she also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Junos, Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys.

An as yet untitled biopic of Mitchell’s life is said to be in development, with IMDb listing Cameron Crowe as the director and Meryl Streep in the starring role.

CNN’s Amarachi Orie contributed to this report.

Joni Mitchell/Instagram

在离开故乡加拿大 60 多年后，琼尼·米切尔终于成为美国公民。

这位传奇的创作型歌手周二在社交媒体上发布了一张自己在入籍仪式上手持美国国旗的照片，并配文：“一段始于62年前的旅程。”

在与她超过 100 万 Instagram 粉丝分享的照片中，面带微笑的米切尔戴着红色贝雷帽和太阳镜，开襟羊毛衫的翻领上还别着额外的星条旗。

下个月即将年满 83 岁的米切尔拄着拐杖，她还发布了一段仪式上的短视频，视频中她受到了在场其他人的掌声。

米切尔于 1943 年出生于加拿大艾伯塔省的麦克劳德堡，他将继续持有加拿大护照，因为两国都允许居民拥有双重国籍。

这位标志性的艺术家于 1997 年入选摇滚名人堂，并于 2002 年获得格莱美终身成就奖，他最著名的作品是 20 世纪 70 年代的热门歌曲，如《大黄出租车》、《蓝色》、《阿米莉亚》和《伍德斯托克》。

她曾在阿尔伯塔省学习商业艺术，1964年搬到多伦多，并在当地的民谣俱乐部和咖啡馆演出。之后，她与民谣歌手查克·米切尔有过一段短暂的婚姻，期间她住在底特律，最终搬到了纽约市。正是在那里，她制作了她的同名专辑，也称为《海鸥之歌》。

米切尔拥有 19 张录音室专辑和 6 张现场专辑，后来搬到了洛杉矶，先是定居在洛杉矶的劳雷尔峡谷，后来又搬到了贝莱尔。

目前尚不清楚米切尔为何选择在加美关系尤为紧张的时期加入美国国籍。据广泛报道，她在2024年美国总统大选前夕于好莱坞露天剧场演出时，曾公开抨击时任总统唐纳德·特朗普。

据当时的媒体报道，这位著名的抗议歌手鼓励她的听众去投票：“大家都去投票。这次投票很重要。我真希望我能投票——我是加拿大人。我是那些可怜的移民之一。”

杰克·罗宾逊/档案照片/盖蒂图片社

图片：传奇创作歌手琼尼·米切尔

米切尔近年来饱受一系列健康问题的困扰，包括 2015 年的中风和脑动脉瘤。

尽管健康状况不佳，她仍然出席了2024年的格莱美颁奖典礼，并凭借2023年发行的专辑《Joni Mitchell at Newport》获得了最佳民谣专辑奖。今年，她还在加拿大朱诺奖（相当于加拿大的格莱美奖）上获得了终身成就奖。

据称，一部尚未定名的米切尔传记电影正在筹备中，IMDb网站显示卡梅伦·克罗将担任导演，梅丽尔·斯特里普将担任主演。

CNN的Amarachi Orie对本报道亦有贡献。