Annie Lennox says discovering Joni Mitchell was “life-changing”

Lennox’s pivotal moment

Scottish singer Annie Lennox has opened up about her love of Joni Mitchell and said discovering the musician was a “life-changing” experience. Speaking to PBS for their culture series, Canvas, Lennox recalled pivotal moments in her career, such as listening to Mitchell for the first time. “Joni had a huge impact on me,” she said. She explained that there was a point in her life when she was studying classical music, but it “didn’t work out”. On her first day at the Royal Academy of Music, she said she knew “it wasn’t right for me.”

Lennox identifies with Mitchell

Lennox went on to describe a flat she lived in while studying, saying her flatmates would “buy albums and were very proud of the LPs that they bought”. One day, a flatmate brought home a Joni Mitchell album, which Lennox believes was Court and Spark. “What I identified with was this extraordinary lyrical aspect, this poetic aspect of visual painting, but in sound and in word. It sort of made everything come together…That encounter with her music changed my life,” Lennox said, describing how Mitchell’s music was “life-changing”.

Peers celebrate Mitchell

Joni Mitchell was recently honoured with the Gershwin Prize in Washington, D.C. Celebrated by peers including Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Mumford, Brandi Carlile, James Taylor and Graham Nash, Mitchell also took to the stage to perform ‘Summertime’.

Credit: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/annie-lennox-says-discovering-joni-mitchell-was-life-changing/

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