Joni Mitchell reflected on how she built a new life “like a phoenix” in a poignant speech at the 2026 Juno Awards on Sunday night.
Taking to the stage at the TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, the legendary singer-songwriter was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on behalf of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS).
To begin, Los Angeles-based Mitchell noted she was “so glad” to be back in her homeland after living in the U.S. for “many, many years”.
Addressing Carney, the folk music star noted, “We are so lucky… We are so fortunate to have him… I’m living in the States, and you know what’s happening there.”
Mitchell went on to reference her past health issues.
The Grammy Award-winning artist has made only a few public appearances since suffering a brain aneurysm rupture in March 2015.
“I had a (brain) aneurysm, which changed my life – oddly, for the better,” the 82-year-old continued. “I went into a coma, which helped me to quit smoking. And my house filled up with the most wonderful nurses. I was 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 out of a catastrophe like a phoenix. Thank you very much for this honour.”
After receiving the prestigious prize, Mitchell joined Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell for a rendition of her 1970 hit, Big Yellow Taxi, amid a tribute medley.
Mitchell is just the third person to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Juno Awards, following former president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Pierre Juneau in 1989 and Snowbird singer Anne Murray in 2025.
