One of the most beautiful cities in the world showed off as the flame came through the famed Galleria and into the piazza for thousands to see. We caught up with one Italian Olympian overcome with pride. magic. As for the athletes, they know the world is watching. This is the most eyes I’m going to have on me ever, and Team USA members realize pressure is *** privilege simply because it’s *** once in *** lifetime opportunity. In 16 days, the Americans will hopefully be heading home with buckets full of gold medals and say, Arriva drci to Italy, or maybe they’ll just say goodbye. I don’t want to insult the Italian language by trying to speak it without any practice.
Why Mariah Carey was chosen to perform at the Olympic Opening Ceremony
Updated: 3:59 PM CST Feb 6, 2026
Mariah Carey, the five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, performed at Milan’s San Siro stadium on Friday during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.The “Someday” singer, dressed in a sequined white dress, performed the iconic 1958 Italian song “Nel blu, dipinto di blu,” which most non-Italian speakers will recognize for its popular chorus, “Volare.”Carey got loud cheers in Milan as she sang in Italian. In Cortina, hundreds of fans sang along with her, and a roar emerged when they realized she was performing the song with the “Volare” refrain.She followed it with her 2025 song “Nothing Is Impossible,” whose lyrics include, “‘Cause I dream a greater dream/ I fight a greater fight/ I overcome it all,” a fitting piece for the peak of many athletes’ careers.Carey has headlined multiple sporting events. In 2002, she sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl, and she performed her own song at the 2020 U.S. Open women’s tennis final.It’s not the first time an American has taken to the Olympic Opening Ceremony stage. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga performed at the Opening Ceremony.“Mariah Carey fully represents the emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games,” the local organizing committee for the Games said. “Music is a universal language that attracts different stories and sensibilities, and intertwines with the opening ceremony’s theme of harmony.”Is Mariah Carey Italian?Mariah Carey’s ethnicity is not Italian. Her mother is of Irish descent, while her father is of African American and Afro-Venezuelan descent.”My father’s father’s mother was Venezuelan,” Carey told Meghan Markle on her “Archetypes” podcast. “But my father’s family is Black, so everybody was like, ‘Her father is Venezuelan and Black’ because they didn’t know how to put me in that box. They want you to put you in a box and categorize you.”Does Mariah Carey speak Italian?When she announced her Olympic performance in December, Carey appeared in an Instagram post, saying, “We’ll see each other in Milan,” in Italian. She has hinted at knowing the basics of Italian, thanks to her mother’s influence growing up.”My mom was an opera singer, so she was always practicing singing in German, Italian, all kinds of languages,” Carey said on “Live! With Kelly and Mark.” “One time, she was rehearsing and made a mistake. She stopped, and I just continued the line she was singing. I was about 4 years old. That’s when she said, ‘OK, I guess she’s got an ear!'”The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mariah Carey, the five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, performed at Milan’s San Siro stadium on Friday during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
The “Someday” singer, dressed in a sequined white dress, performed the iconic 1958 Italian song “Nel blu, dipinto di blu,” which most non-Italian speakers will recognize for its popular chorus, “Volare.”
Carey got loud cheers in Milan as she sang in Italian. In Cortina, hundreds of fans sang along with her, and a roar emerged when they realized she was performing the song with the “Volare” refrain.
She followed it with her 2025 song “Nothing Is Impossible,” whose lyrics include, “‘Cause I dream a greater dream/ I fight a greater fight/ I overcome it all,” a fitting piece for the peak of many athletes’ careers.
Carey has headlined multiple sporting events. In 2002, she sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl, and she performed her own song at the 2020 U.S. Open women’s tennis final.
It’s not the first time an American has taken to the Olympic Opening Ceremony stage. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga performed at the Opening Ceremony.
“Mariah Carey fully represents the emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games,” the local organizing committee for the Games said. “Music is a universal language that attracts different stories and sensibilities, and intertwines with the opening ceremony’s theme of harmony.”
Is Mariah Carey Italian?
Mariah Carey’s ethnicity is not Italian. Her mother is of Irish descent, while her father is of African American and Afro-Venezuelan descent.
“My father’s father’s mother was Venezuelan,” Carey told Meghan Markle on her “Archetypes” podcast. “But my father’s family is Black, so everybody was like, ‘Her father is Venezuelan and Black’ because they didn’t know how to put me in that box. They want you to put you in a box and categorize you.”
Does Mariah Carey speak Italian?
When she announced her Olympic performance in December, Carey appeared in an Instagram post, saying, “We’ll see each other in Milan,” in Italian. She has hinted at knowing the basics of Italian, thanks to her mother’s influence growing up.
“My mom was an opera singer, so she was always practicing singing in German, Italian, all kinds of languages,” Carey said on “Live! With Kelly and Mark.” “One time, she was rehearsing and made a mistake. She stopped, and I just continued the line she was singing. I was about 4 years old. That’s when she said, ‘OK, I guess she’s got an ear!'”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.