Mariah Carey’s February spotlight: Olympics performance, MusiCares honor, and legal win

Mariah Carey is having an unusually busy first week of February: she performed during the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Milan on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 (ET), just days after being celebrated in Los Angeles as MusiCares Person of the Year. At the same time, a long-running copyright dispute tied to “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is still reverberating, with Carey seeking to recover major legal costs after the case was tossed out.

Together, the events show the current shape of Carey’s career in 2026: a global live-performance lane, high-profile industry recognition, and a continuing insistence on defending her catalog in court.

Olympics Opening Ceremony puts Carey on a global stage

Carey appeared as a featured performer at the Opening Ceremony for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at San Siro Stadium in Milan. The ceremony was built around an “harmony” theme and used a split-location concept that included both Milan and the alpine host region, culminating in the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons in a first-of-its-kind setup.

Her appearance was part of a larger slate of musical and cultural segments designed to bridge Italy’s pop culture, classical tradition, and the Games’ modern production style. The spotlight matters for Carey for a simple reason: the Olympics is one of the few remaining TV events that still delivers a truly mass, multi-country audience at a single moment.

MusiCares Person of the Year adds a career-capping accolade

Just a week earlier, Carey was honored as the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year at the annual benefit gala in Los Angeles on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 (ET). The event mixed tribute performances from other artists with a recognition of Carey’s philanthropic work and long-running impact on pop and R&B.

In practical terms, this honor tends to function like a cross-industry “seal” that can reset the narrative for veteran artists: it’s less about chart competition and more about legacy, songwriting durability, vocal influence, and the breadth of her catalog across decades.

“All I Want for Christmas” lawsuit aftermath: fees and deterrence

Carey’s holiday mega-hit continues to generate legal noise even after the underlying copyright claim was dismissed. Recent filings and coverage show Carey pushing for reimbursement of legal costs tied to defending the case, with the figure sought reaching seven digits in total attorney fees.

The dispute matters beyond celebrity gossip because it highlights how expensive it can be to fight even a dismissed claim—especially when the song at issue is an evergreen annual revenue engine. For Carey, the strategy is straightforward: forcefully contest the allegation, then seek reimbursement to discourage future attempts to extract settlements from blockbuster catalogs.

A packed 2026 performance calendar beyond the Games

Carey’s early-2026 visibility isn’t limited to the Olympics and awards-week events. She is also booked for a major live show in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 (ET), part of an outdoor concert series that has been drawing international headliners.

This kind of routing—global one-offs, festival-scale appearances, and prestige TV moments—fits a modern “selective touring” playbook. It keeps demand high while avoiding the grind of long arena runs, and it aligns with how fans now consume legacy artists: big moments, limited dates, and premium production.

What to watch next for Carey in 2026

A few developments will determine whether this February burst is a one-month spike or the start of a longer campaign:

• New music signaling: any confirmed single push or additional promotional appearances that suggest a broader release plan.

• More global-stage bookings: major televised events and high-profile international shows that reinforce Carey as a “special event” performer.

• Legal follow-through: whether the courts award a meaningful portion of requested fees, which could influence how often similar suits are filed against major hits.

For now, the headline is that Carey is simultaneously operating in three arenas—global live spectacle, industry honors, and catalog defense—each reinforcing the same point: her music remains culturally central and commercially powerful enough to keep drawing attention year-round.

Sources consulted: Reuters, Associated Press, Billboard, MusiCares