Mariah Carey helped kick off the 2026 Winter Olympics with an angelic rendition of a popular Italian song.
Wearing an all-white look, the singer took the opening ceremony stage at San Siro stadium on Friday and performed the song “Volare” in Italian.
The song, which was originally recorded by Italian singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno and is officially titled “Nel blu, dipinto di blu,” has been performed by many prolific artists in the past, including Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
US singer Mariah Carey performs during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, northern Italy, on February 6, 2026.
Andreas Rentz/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Carey also performed her song “Nothing Is Impossible” from her 2025 album “Here For It All.”
Carey’s headlining opening ceremony appearance at the Milan Cortina Games was first announced in December.
At the time, the news was shared on both the Olympic and the Milan Cortina 2026 Instagram accounts, with the five-time Grammy winner delivering a special message to fans in an Instagram reel.
Mariah Carey performs during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium on February 06, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
“Ciao! Get ready for Milano Cortina 2026. See you at the Stadio San Siro on the 6th of February for the Olympic opening ceremony,” Carey says in the video.
“See you in Milan!” she adds in Italian.
The Olympics account also shared the announcement in a separate Instagram post, alongside a carousel of graphics that read, “Mariah & Milano, it’s official!”
“Mariah Carey is the first major international guest to be announced for the Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony,” subsequent graphics read. “…World-renowned for her voice and musical legacy that spans generations and cultures, Mariah’s career beautifully reflects the main theme of the opening ceremony: harmony.”
Mariah Carey performs during opening night of Mariah Carey’s “Christmastime In Las Vegas” at Dolby Live at Park MGM on November 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Denise Truscello/Getty Images
The post also noted it wouldn’t be Carey’s first involvement with the global sporting competition.
According to the post, Carey’s 2010 song “100%” was released to benefit Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will run from Feb. 6-22, 2026, in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and will feature world-class athletic competitions in 16 winter sports including alpine skiing, bobsleigh, figure skating, snowboarding and more.
