Joni Mitchell identified French singer Édith Piaf as the first vocalist to deeply affect her, saying Piaf’s voice “thrilled my soul”. The article presents this early admiration as an important influence on Mitchell’s own artistic development, particularly her commitment to emotionally direct, expressive singing.

Mitchell’s early musical tastes also included classical music, with Claude Debussy described as her first musical love. Piaf’s dramatic delivery stood apart from that background, helping to shape Mitchell’s wide-ranging approach to songwriting and performance before she became a leading singer-songwriter herself.