Longtime U.S. resident Joni Mitchell is now an official American citizen. The Canada-born artist completed her dual citizenship process in a ceremony shared on Instagram, capping a journey that began 62 years ago.
Joni Mitchell has officially added U.S. citizenship to her longstanding identity as a Canadian, completing a naturalization process that she noted on Instagram began 62 years ago. In a post shared on Tuesday, the musician was captured making her dual citizenship official to the sound of a cheering crowd, according to Pitchfork.
From Alberta to Laurel Canyon
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Born in Alberta and raised in Saskatoon from the time she was nine, Mitchell first came to the United States in the mid-1960s. Following her marriage to Chuck Mitchell, she settled in Detroit and lived briefly in New York before moving to Los Angeles in 1968. That move placed her at the heart of the burgeoning Laurel Canyon folk scene. Today, she lives in Santa Barbara.
Mitchell’s relationship with her two home countries has long been complex. While taking on American citizenship, the artist has not shied away from political commentary. During a 2024 “Joni Jam” performance at the Hollywood Bowl, she offered candid remarks about U.S. leadership, telling the audience, Fuck Donald Trump. I wish I could vote…I’m a Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants.
Navigating Dual Identity and Past Criticisms
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Her critiques have also extended northward. A 2006 statement published on her website addressed her status, clarifying 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.
Whether her newly formalized status prompts any fresh acknowledgments from institutions like the New York Times Greatest Living American Songwriters list remains to be seen.
