Joni Mitchell becomes a U.S. citizen after 62 years in America

Canadian folk legend Joni Mitchell has become a U.S. citizen, announcing the news on social media more than six decades after she first moved to the United States.

The 82-year-old singer-songwriter posted a photo and video from her naturalization ceremony on Instagram and X on Tuesday.

In the image, Mitchell is seen smiling and wearing a red beret and sunglasses, holding a small American flag with stars and stripes pinned to her cardigan.

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"A journey that began 62 years ago," Mitchell captioned the post.

Born Roberta Joan Anderson in Fort Macleod, Alta., in 1943, Mitchell moved to the United States in the mid-1960s during a brief marriage to American musician Chuck Mitchell.

She lived in Detroit and New York before settling in California, where she became a defining figure in the Laurel Canyon music scene.

While she now resides in Santa Barbara, Calif., she continues to maintain a second residence on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast.

The transition to citizenship does not mean a parting of ways with her home country, as Canada and the U.S. allow for dual citizenship.

Mitchell has been vocal about U.S. politics in recent years.

At a 2024 performance in Los Angeles, she told the crowd, "F, Donald Trump. I love that song," after performing her 1985 song Dog Eat Dog.

"I wish I could vote… I’m a Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants," she reportedly added at the time.

She did not say whether that experience influenced her decision to become a U.S. citizen.

Mitchell’s decision has drawn mixed reactions on social media.

Some celebrated the news, with one X user calling it a "special moment for Joni." Another wrote, "Just in time to vote in the midterms. Welcome aboard from another Cdn expat."

Others questioned the timing, with one user writing, "What?! Jesus READ THE ROOM Joni! Not impressed at all." Another wrote, "Never did I think I’d see Joni Mitchell be so completely tone deaf."

In March, Prime Minister Mark Carney presented Mitchell with a lifetime achievement award at the Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ont.

Taking the stage to a thunderous standing ovation, Mitchell told the audience she was "so happy to be in Canada" with "our wonderful prime minister."

"I’m living in the States, and you know what’s happening there," Mitchell said in March. "This man is a blessing. You guys are so fortunate."

After a 2015 brain aneurysm impacted her speech and mobility, Mitchell spent years in recovery before returning to public performance in 2022.

Mitchell is known for songs like Big Yellow Taxi and Woodstock and for the 1971 album Blue.

With 19 studio albums, her accolades include 11 Grammys, five Juno Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

A biopic about her is reportedly in development, with director Cameron Crowe and actor Meryl Streep attached to the project.

With files from Global News, CBC News and The Guardian