She can belt it out in English and Italian; what can’t she do? For the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Milan, Italy, Mariah Carey did what those in Milan do: Sing in Italian. As she walked toward the center of the stage in San Siro, she was followed by at least five people who helped carry the train of her dress. For her two-song performance, Carey belted out “Nothing Is Impossible” from her latest album in English, Here for It All, and “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu,” a.k.a. “Volare” in Italiano — the latter was Italy’s entry in Eurovision in 1958 and became a Billboard No. 1 hit in the States. It wouldn’t be a Mariah performance without a high note, which is a sound that is universally understood in every language.
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Carey has been unknowingly preparing for this moment her whole life; her mother was an opera singer who frequently sang in Italian, and baby Mariah would practice alongside her. In her autobiography, she recalled her mother singing Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” and Carey sang the song back to her “in perfect Italian.” So that’s how people get decades of experience by the time they hit adulthood.
