Mariah Carey brought world class pop star wattage to the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday night at Milan’s historic San Siro Stadium.
Mariah Carey, who has scored 19 Billboard No. 1 singles and six Grammy Awards, performed entirely in Italian for the first time in her illustrious career, singing Domenico Modugno’s “Nel Blu, dipinto di Blu” – known internationally as “Volare” – as a symbolic gesture that underscores the event’s theme of “harmony” and the ambition to highlight local culture while giving the broadcast global appeal.
Written by Domenico Modugno and performed at the 1958 Sanremo Festival, “Volare,” with its famous refrain – “volare! oh, oh!” – marked a milestone in the history of Italian song, becoming a global phenomenon and winning two Grammy Awards, an unprecedented achievement for Italian music at the time.
Mariah Carey segued from “Volare” into her hit single “Nothing is Impossible” from the 2025 studio album “Here For It All.” She wore a an Art Deco-inspired gown featuring beads and crystals on the bodice, waist and skirt. And a diamond necklace, earrings and bracelet, valued at $15 million.
Interweaving sport, fashion and national heritage, just as the Paris Olympics did in 2024, the Italian ceremony also included a tribute to Giorgio Armani, the late fashion titan who died at 91 last September and stood as Milan’s greatest ambassador.
The Winter Olympics ceremony is set against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions — U.S. officials have confirmed that ICE agents would be deployed in Italy to protect Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who are expected to attend the opener in Milan’s San Siro stadium
Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns the Eurosport network, will be airing 865 hours of live Olympics Games spread out over 15 venues. In the U.S., the Games will get full-court-press treatment from NBC and Peacock. In Europe, HBO Max is streaming the games in Europe alongside local broadcasters.