The Joni Mitchell song about the child she gave up

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Joni Mitchell hints at new album in conversation with Elton John

Sat 12 November 2022 10:30, UK

In a new interview with Elton John, Joni Mitchell has hinted at releasing a new album.

Following a brain aneurysm in 2015, Mitchell retired from music but surprisingly returned in the summer with a live performance at Newport Folk Festival. Now, in an appearance on Apple Music 1’s Elton John’s Rocket Hour, she’s revealed plans to release a new album and also shared her memories of first releasing music.

Elton says in the conversation: “I’ve seen you through music and, of course, your incredible rehabilitation, but music has helped you so much, and it’s beautiful to watch you evolve. And people out there, you haven’t heard things from the Newport Folk Festival yet, but I think there’s going to be an album coming out of that one?” Mitchell replied, “Yeah, we’re trying to put that out,” before revealing they “didn’t have any” rehearsals prior to the performance.

Explaining how her voice has changed, Mitchell said: “Yeah, that I had to figure out what I did. And I couldn’t sing the key, I’ve become an alto. I’m not a soprano anymore, so I couldn’t sing the song. And I thought people might feel slighted that if I just played the guitar part, but I like the guitar part to that song. So anyway, it was very well received, much to my delight.”

Mitchell also looked back at releasing music for the first time as a youngster, and recalled: “At the time … it took a lot of flack if anything. People thought that it was too intimate. It was almost like Dylan going electric. I think it upset the male singer-songwriters. They’d go, ‘Oh, no. Do we have to bare our souls like this now?’ … It took to this [new] generation; they seem to be able to face those emotions more easily than my generation.”

Meanwhile, Mitchell also announced her first scheduled concert in over 20 years and revealed her plans to hit the stage next June.