MILAN (AP) — The performance by pop star Mariah Carey at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony was the talk of the town — but it also raised a few questions.
The rendition by the American singer of Italian classic “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu” — better known as “Volare" — was a showstopping highlight in the 3½-hour spectacle that kicked off the Games.
“Such a dream come true to perform (in Italian!) at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony,” she later wrote in an Instagram post.
She received rave reviews from many, who called her marvelous and touted her high notes.
But her performance Friday also prompted a good deal of criticism online, where commenters were confused why an Italian singer wasn't given the honor. Some noted a large teleprompter with a phonetic breakdown of the song's Italian lyrics, while others wondered if she was lip-syncing.
Three reporters — including The Associated Press — asked the International Olympic Committee and local organizers about her during their daily news conference Saturday to address the teleprompter and doubts about lip-syncing.
Carey was born in New York to an Irish American mother, who was an opera singer, and a Black father with Venezuelan roots.
Despite her non-Italian background, the local organizing committee asked her to perform at Friday's opening ceremony and touted her for months as a big get to open the Winter Games.
“We believe that Mariah Carey’s performance was exceptional," Milan Cortina’s director of ceremonies Maria Laura Iascone said Saturday. “She was capable of creating a magic moment.”
It’s unclear whether Carey chose to sing “Volare,” but she told Vogue after the ceremony that the song has long been a favorite of hers.
The show did feature the Italian voices of tenor Andrea Bocelli, singer-songwriter Laura Pausini and mezzosoprano Cecilia Bartoli.
While armchair analysts mused online that the “All I Want for Christmas is You” singer appeared stiff, especially while singing in Italian, the crowd inside the San Siro stadium cheered and applauded when they realized she was performing in the local language.
She later stunned the audience with her own “Nothing is Impossible.”
Asked Saturday if Carey was lip-syncing, Iascone dodged the question and instead praised her as “really extraordinary.”
She said that “in order to be on the safe side,” they always record performances ahead of time for internationally broadcast events.
She didn't directly address if Carey was lip-syncing and said the singer wasn't paid for her performance.
“We were all satisfied with the result we had," she said.
A large teleprompter was visible inside the stadium, spelling out phonetically how Carey should sing the Italian words.
“Voh-lah-reh,” it read for “Volare." And “Nell blue Dee-peen-toe D blue” for “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu.”
Posts of the scrolling lyrics on social media, including from Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi, racked up hundreds of thousands of views online.
When the AP asked Iascone about it, she said “of course” there was a teleprompter.
“Especially for those artists who sang in a different language than their own native language,” she said. "And they needed some support, especially regarding the pronunciation.”
Iascone added: “This is part of the show. It is a way to support the talents on the stage.”
Graham Dunbar and Andrea Rosa contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Thomas Morgan said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
DavidKristofferson said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.