Legendary singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell has officially become a United States citizen. The 82 year old music icon finalized her naturalization process during an official oath ceremony at a Department of Homeland Security office. Following the event, Mitchell shared the milestone publicly on social media, posting a photograph of herself holding a small American flag alongside a video recording of her name being called during the ceremony.
Mitchell added a brief caption to her public post stating that the moment marked the conclusion of a journey that began 62 years ago. The milestone occurs several decades after she first relocated from her native country of Canada to build her prominent career in the American music industry.
Born in Alberta, Canada, and raised in Saskatchewan, Mitchell initially crossed the border into the United States in 1965. Her initial residence was established in Detroit, Michigan, following her marriage to Chuck Mitchell. After the marriage ended, she temporarily relocated to New York City in 1967, where she resided in Chelsea and composed prominent early works including the song Chelsea Morning.
By 1968, Mitchell moved to Southern California, settling in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles. The geographic move aligned with a critical rise in her commercial and critical success, beginning with the release of her debut studio album and continuing through a series of highly influential recordings throughout the late 1960s and 1970s. Mitchell eventually transitioned her primary residence from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, California, where she continues to live today.
Throughout her decades living in the United States, Mitchell maintained strong, consistent ties to her home country. Over the course of her career, she received major international accolades from both nations. Her honors include 11 Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Order of Canada in 2004. In March, she returned to Canada to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Juno Awards.
While Mitchell has not released an official statement detailing the specific reasons behind her decision to seek naturalization at this time, she previously addressed her status as a non citizen during a public concert at the Hollywood Bowl. During that appearance, she openly shared her desire to participate in American elections, noting to the audience that she wished she had the ability to vote.
The completion of her naturalization makes Mitchell part of a select group of legendary Canadian folk and rock artists from her generation who chose to obtain American citizenship later in life. Her long time friend and fellow musician Neil Young went through a similar U.S. citizenship naturalization process.