Overview
- Mitchell, who posted a photo and video of the ceremony on Instagram, was formally sworn in as a U.S. citizen on Tuesday and captioned the post, “A journey that began 62 years ago.”
- Video and reports of the ceremony show Department of Homeland Security flags on display and an announcer calling out “Joni Mitchell, Canada” as she stepped forward to be applauded.
- Her decision to naturalize ends a technical ambiguity that led outlets such as The New York Times to exclude her from a 2026 list of the greatest living American songwriters.
- Mitchell and her representatives have not offered an explanation for why she chose to naturalize now, though she has previously said onstage that she wished she could vote and has criticized President Donald Trump.
- The change comes late in a career defined by albums such as Blue and Court and Spark, a recovery from a 2015 brain aneurysm, and a recent return to public performances that renewed attention to her legacy.