Joni Mitchell Makes Grammys Debut With Stunning, Emotional 'Both Sides Now'

Over 50 years after Joni Mitchell won her first Grammy, the legendary singer-songwriter made her first appearance at the ceremony.

Held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the show opened with an introduction from Mitchell's friend and frequent collaborator Brandi Carlile, who described her as “The matriarch of fantasy, a true renaissance woman, my hero and yours.” . Mitchell then took the stage with a beautiful rendition of “Both Sides Now”, accompanied by Carlile, Russell, Blake Mills, Lucius, Jacob Collier and Sista Strings.

“Both Sides Now” is a shocking choice for the singer, coming off her sophomore album clouds, which won Mitchell the award for Best Folk Performance in 1969 (Judy Collins had previously scored a hit with the song in 1968). Speaking to Rolling Stone Music now podcast last week, executive producer Raj Kapoor mentioned that Mitchell would be performing it clouds classical. “It's going to be a song that I think everyone knows,” he said. “And if you're a Joni Mitchell fan, it's the song you want to hear.”

Mitchell's live album Joni Mitchell in Newport — which captured her first full set in more than two decades — won a Grammy for Best Folk album, making it her 18th Grammy nomination and 10th win overall. In 2022, he was named MusiCares Person of the Year.

Mitchell's momentous evening is the latest in a career resurgence for the 80-year-old, which began in large part in 2019 when she made her first public appearance (at the premiere of Cameron Crowe's Almost famous musical) after nearly dying of a brain aneurysm in 2015. Since then, she's been busy unearthing gems with her archive series, with the latest installment being Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972–1975)which was released last fall.

After her show in Newport, Mitchell played to 25,000 fans at the Gorge Amphitheater last summer. He recently announced a night at the Hollywood Bowl on October 19th. Much to the relief of the new Gen Z/millennial fans, a second show (for October 20th) was subsequently added due to popular demand.