The singer performed “Volare” plus one of her own hits at the Milano Cortina Games.

Mariah Carey opens 2026 Olympics with Eurovision hit song you might also know from Lizzie McGuire Movie

The singer performed "Volare" plus one of her own hits at the Milano Cortina Games.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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on February 6, 2026 3:36 p.m. ET

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Mariah Carey performs at the 2026 Olympics. Credit:

Alexander NEMENOV / AFP via Getty

Mariah Carey brought her epic voice to the elaborate opening ceremony of the 2026 Olympics in Italy with a song recognizable to many.

The Grammy winner performed the Italian song, "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)," as well as her own tune, "Nothing Is Impossible" to kick off the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games on Friday.  She wore a glittering white gown topped with a fluffy cape at the international event held at San Siro Stadium.**

While "Volare" isn't part of Carey's own catalog, it's become a huge international hit after coming in third place at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958. In the U.S., the song sat at the top spot of the Billboard chart for five weeks following its debut, before going on to be recognized by critics.

Mariah Carey at the Olympics.

WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty

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Originally sung by Domenico Modugno, it was the biggest song of 1958, according to PBS' *American Experience*. "'Volare' not only eclipsed all the year's other records in sales, but won both song and record of the year in the first Grammy Awards (as well as a nomination for Modugno as best male vocalist) — despite competition from a bilingual remake by Dean Martin."

It was also Modungo's version that Billboard named its first year-end No. 1 Hot 100 song, according to the publication. (Before that, there hadn’t been one named.) It was the second song ever to top the weekly Hot 100, losing out to the Ricky Nelson tune "Poor Little Fool."

A cover of the track by Vitamin C was featured in the *Lizzie McGuire* *Movie* in 2003. The beloved Disney film, which starred Hilary Duff, was a film version of her popular teen show. Versions of the song have also been used in *Under the Tuscan Sun, Call Me by Your Name, Eat Pray Love, Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita, When in Rome, The Talented Mr. Ripley, *and *The Italian Job.*

The song has also been covered over the years by a range of artists, including David Bowie, Ann-Margret, and the Gipsy Kings.**

Watch Domenico Modugno sing "Volare (Nel blu, dipinto di blu)" on *The Ed Sullivan Show* on Aug. 17, 1958 above.

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