Mariah Carey brought a world-class touch to Milan’s historic San Siro stadium on Friday night, opening the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games with a performance that stunned fans and locals alike.
For the first time in her legendary career, the singer performed entirely in Italian, choosing a song that holds a special place in the country’s heart.
The 56-year-old icon sang Domenico Modugno’s classic Nel Blu, dipinto di Blu, known as Fly”, as a symbolic gesture towards the host nation.
The choice was designed to highlight the event’s central theme of “harmony” while giving the opening ceremony a distinctive local flavor.
After her tribute to Italian music history, Carey moved on to her own success, nothing is impossiblea track from their 2025 album. Here for everything.
The ceremony served as a mix of sport, culture and national heritage, reflecting the style seen at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
A significant moment of the evening included a tribute to the late Giorgio Armani, the legendary Milanese fashion designer and ambassador who died last September at the age of 91.
While the atmosphere inside the stadium was celebratory, the event took place amid notable geopolitical tensions.
Security was exceptionally high, and US officials confirmed that ICE agents were deployed to Italy to protect Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were expected to attend.
For fans watching the Games around the world, the Games are receiving extensive coverage; Warner Bros. Discovery offers 865 hours of live action across Europe via Eurosport and HBO Max, while NBC and Peacock lead streaming in the United States.
This massive performance comes at a time when Carey’s long career is being celebrated for more than just her 19 Billboard number one singles.
On January 30, the six-time Grammy winner was honored as the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year.
MusiCares CEO Theresa Wolters praised the singer’s commitment to helping others, saying, “She has consistently used her platform to provide tangible support to communities, whether through disaster relief, youth empowerment, or programs that help those facing barriers to opportunity.
“His work exemplifies MusiCares’ core values: creating systems of care that uplift people and ensure music professionals and communities can thrive.”
Carey herself has noted that her motivation has remained the same for almost forty years: to love, heal, and uplift her audience.
Reflecting on his work during a break from his Las Vegas residency, he explained that coming from a background without wealth makes the ability to give back even more meaningful.
“I’ve always tried to incorporate messages into my songs like ‘Make It Happen’ and ‘Hero,'” Carey said.
“It’s just cool to be able to give back that way. I didn’t grow up with money. And if you grew up like I did, it means even more to be able to give back.”
