The news comes several decades after the legend began living – and writing – about the United States.
Sixty-four years after arriving in the United States, Joni Mitchell officially became an American citizen.
Mitchell shared the news via Instagram, holding an American flag. She also posted a video of herself receiving official documents, accompanied by the caption “A journey that began 62 years ago.”
The news comes six years after Mitchell’s longtime Canadian friend Neil Young obtained his U.S. citizenship (his process was delayed due to the “good character” clause on the immigration application, when he admitted to smoking weed).
As rolling stone reported earlier this year, Cameron Crowe’s upcoming Mitchell biopic will star Meryl Streep as an older version of Joni. “This is a film that will not be made remotely,” Crowe said of the project. “It’s from his point of view, from his life, from his vision.”
Last spring, Mitchell received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Juno Awards, where she appeared on stage and performed alongside Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell. “I had a (brain) aneurysm, which changed my life – oddly enough, for the better,” she said during her acceptance speech. “I fell into a coma, which helped me quit smoking. And my house was filled with the most wonderful nurses. I’ve been on the road with men for years and years; now I live with a house full of women. So my life has changed for the better, following a disaster, like a phoenix cultivating a better life.”
Next month marks the 50th anniversary of Mitchell’s landmark album Hegirawhich appears on Rolling stone’new list of the 76 best albums of 1976.
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