Mariah Carey lights up the Olympics with an Italian classic and a new anthem

Mariah Carey brought pop-star spectacle to the Milano Cortina Winter Games, delivering one of the opening ceremony’s signature moments with a bilingual-feeling set that blended Italian tradition and modern arena-pop. Her appearance came as the Olympics opened to a large early audience and as the ceremony leaned heavily into “global-meets-local” cultural symbolism.

Carey performed at San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan during the opening ceremony weekend, stepping into a role usually reserved for artists who can carry a stadium—and a worldwide broadcast—without losing intimacy.

A headline opening-ceremony performance in Milan

Carey’s set combined a well-known Italian standard, “Volare,” with one of her own recent tracks, “Nothing Is Impossible.” The pairing worked as a simple narrative arc: a love letter to the host country followed by a motivational closer aimed at athletes and viewers.

The staging emphasized classic glamour rather than reinvention. She wore a bright, jewel-accented look designed to read cleanly from the upper decks, with lighting that kept the focus on vocals and silhouette instead of elaborate choreography. In a ceremony packed with moving pieces, the segment stood out for being direct: a star, a microphone, and two songs engineered for a big room.

Why “Volare” mattered to the moment

“Volare” is one of those rare selections that instantly signals “Italy” to an international audience. It also gave the performance a higher bar: the tune is familiar enough that small choices—phrasing, tempo, pronunciation—become part of the story.

For Carey, the choice served a practical purpose too. A classic like that bridges casual viewers who may not follow her current releases, while still allowing her to place her own music in the same emotional register. The result was less a medley gimmick and more a statement: this was a guest spot built for the host country, but still anchored in her brand.

The new song and the Olympics message

“Nothing Is Impossible” landed as the event’s obvious “theme-friendly” moment—an aspirational hook aimed straight at the Games’ central idea of effort and resilience. It also functioned as a reminder that Carey is still actively releasing music, not simply revisiting the catalog.

The Olympics frequently use opening-ceremony performances to set tone rather than chase chart trends, and Carey’s selection fit that template: cinematic melody, clear chorus, and lyrics that don’t need context to connect.

Audience response and the online chatter

As with most high-profile opening-ceremony performances, reaction split quickly into two camps: viewers who loved the sheer scale of the moment and those who debated whether the vocal and production choices matched their expectations. The conversation accelerated because short clips traveled fast, turning a few minutes of stage time into an all-day talking point.

Still, the bigger signal was straightforward: Carey’s segment became one of the ceremony’s most replayed and discussed pieces, which is exactly what organizers want from a global star booking—attention that lasts beyond the live broadcast.

What the performance says about this Olympics

The Milano Cortina opening ceremony leaned into recognizable names and cross-genre appeal, and Carey’s appearance fit the strategy: an international headliner delivering something tailored to Italy while keeping the show’s tone broadly accessible.

The opening weekend also benefited from strong early viewership, giving moments like Carey’s performance more cultural weight than they might carry in a smaller broadcast. In other words, this wasn’t just a cameo—it was an early defining image of the Games’ entertainment identity.

Sources consulted: People, Axios, Vogue, CBS News