Mariah Carey Performs at Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Milan

The singer-songwriter “perfectly embodies the emotional spirit of the Games,” Olympic organizers said.Mariah Carey is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.Credit...Kevin Kane/Getty ImagesFeb. 6, 2026, 2:15 p.m. ETTo borrow Mariah Carey’s holiday catchphrase — it’s tiiime!The powerhouse vocalist is performing in Italian at the Milan opening ceremony at the San Siro stadium for the Winter Olympics in Italy.The singer might not have much of a connection to Italy, but she’s not unfamiliar with the country’s music. Carey’s mother was a Juilliard-trained opera singer, and Carey, in her autobiography, recalled a time when she, at age 3, once listened to her mother “stumbling” over an aria from Verdi’s “Rigoletto.”“I sang it back to her, in perfect Italian,” Carey recalled. “She looked at me, stunned, and at that moment, I knew she saw me. I was more than a little girl to her. I was Mariah, a musician.”In a statement released in December announcing her appearance, the Olympic organizers said that the singer-songwriter “perfectly embodies the emotional spirit of the games.”“Mariah Carey’s participation further underscores the international breadth of the ceremony and its messages,” organizers said.In an Instagram video post accompanying the statement, Carey greeted the viewers and, in Italian, said, “See you in Milan!”Carey, a 56-year-old American, is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, most notably racking up hit after hit in the 1990s. Her powerful voice and dramatic melisma — gliding from note to note on the same syllable — have made her one of the world’s most recognizable singers.Her song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is consistently the most played hit on American radio during the holiday season. Her other chart-toppers include “Vision of Love,” “Hero” and “One Sweet Day.”(She also is a fan of The Times’s Connections puzzle. Thanks, Mariah.)Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.Victor Mather, who has been a reporter and editor at The Times for 25 years, covers sports and breaking news.Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London.SKIP