Joni Mitchell Makes a Rare Public Appearance at the 2022 Grammys
Joni Mitchell is an incredible inspiration for many artists, but she doesn’t often make public appearances. She changed this at the 2022 Grammy awards, making a rare appearance at the ceremony. On the Friday before the Grammys, the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala honored the groundbreaking singer and songwriter. On Sunday, she attended the award ceremony and welcomed Brandi Carlile to the stage.
The ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ singer has a rare health condition
Mitchell currently has a condition called Morgellons. The rare condition results in an itching or stinging sensation beneath the skin and can be long-lasting.
“I have this weird, incurable disease that seems like it’s from outer space, but my health’s the best it’s been in a while,” she told the LA Times. “Fibers in a variety of colors protrude out of my skin like mushrooms after a rainstorm: they cannot be forensically identified as animal, vegetable or mineral. Morgellons is a slow, unpredictable killer — a terrorist disease: it will blow up one of your organs, leaving you in bed for a year.”
At times, the condition has left Mitchell unable to wear clothing or leave her home.
Joni Mitchell made a rare appearance at the Grammy awards
In 2022, Mitchell was the guest of honor at the MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony. The event highlighted her unparalleled career. Fellow musicians Jon Batiste and Brandi Carlile organized the event.
“When I heard that Joni was named Person of the Year, I knew I wanted to be involved in a meaningful way,” Batiste said, per Billboard. “Brandi and I worked with the producers to paint a beautiful picture of poetry and music through Joni’s eyes.”
Performers at the ceremony included St. Vincent, John Legend, Billy Porter, and Mitchell’s ex-boyfriend Graham Nash. Two days later, she appeared at the Grammys to introduce a performance by Carlile. She joined Bonnie Raitt to welcome the musician to the stage. Her role at the Grammys marked her first speaking performance at an award show since her brain aneurysm in 2015.
Before the Grammy awards, Joni Mitchell attended the Kennedy Center Honors
At the end of 2021, Mitchell made another public appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors. She was one of the recipients of that year’s honors. Performances by Ellie Goulding, Brittany Howard, Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, and Brandi Carlile celebrated Mitchell’s impressive career.
“Your words and melodies touch the deepest parts of our souls,” President Joe Biden said, per The White House. “She does it by letting us in, by sharing what’s deeply personal and yet universal. It’s why millions of people will listen to her songs and feel they were written just for them. It’s — you’re a master at your craft. And what sets you apart, in my view, is when we listen to you — your voice, your guitar, your careful arrangements — we listen to a great song. And then — then you read the lyrics on their own, in the quiet, all by themselves, and you read a great poem. You sing poetry, it seems to me.”
