“It’s my legacy as a human - like raising my kids, marrying my wife, and honouring my parents”: Brandi Carlile on helping Joni Mitchell return to the stage

Brandi Carlile has said that her role in helping Joni Mitchell return to the stage after a brain aneurysm falls into her category of her “legacy as a human”.

It was over a decade ago that the grande dame of singer-songwriters suffered her near-fatal aneurysm. Joni’s recovery was long and slow, and it took months before she was even able to talk and walk once more.

At that point, in 2015, the idea that she would ever be able to perform again was unthinkable. But remarkably, that is exactly what she has achieved, and Carlile has been a key player in this resurrection.

From 2017, she organised monthly ‘Joni jams’ at the singer’s house in which friends and fellow artists dropped round, sang her songs and gently encouraged the star to rediscover her voice. This culminated in an emotional appearance by Mitchell and Carlile at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022 – the first time Mitchell had made a live appearance since the aneurysm. See if you can get through the clip below without your eyes moistening...

Joni Mitchell – A Case of You (Live at the Newport Folk Festival 2022) [Official Video] - YouTube

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Now in a new interview with Time, Carlile has said of her role in helping Joni return that it “falls into the category of my legacy as a human - like raising my kids, marrying my wife, and honouring my parents.”

The singer’s most recent album Returning To Myself includes a song, Joni, inspired by the pair’s friendship. "She's inspired me in so many ways, but I think one of the most profound ways is in what I won't write because of Joni," Carlile said in an interview with People last year.

"There are songs that just don't get through the filter anymore of, 'Can I drive up to that gate and play this song for Joni over a glass of wine?' If I can't, it doesn't get written."

More recently, the two friends turned up to this year’s Grammys ceremony together. One highlight of the evening was when Trevor Noah saw the pair, walked over to them and asked for “a moment for Joni Mitchell”. Of course, the host’s plea was answered with a standing ovation.