(NEXSTAR) – Amid the colorful opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics, pop legend Mariah Carey's bilingual performance electrified the crowd. Carey, shimmering in a silver and white, feathered gown created by Italian designer Fausto Puglisi, effortlessly floated between iconic sultry and impossibly high notes. The "Emotions" singer won over the audience immediately, inspiring them to sing along as she belted out the iconic 1958 hit “Nel blu, dipinto di blu" in Italian. Many outside of Italy know the song as "Volare," for its popular chorus. She segued into the powerful 2025 ballad “Nothing is impossible” for the second part of an Italo-American medley. The song is an apt choice for the Olympic Games with its message of overcoming obstacles. In recent years, the Grammy winner has had to face her own personal obstacles, announcing in the summer of 2024 that both her mother and sister had died on the same day. Carey's mother, Patricia, was a Juilliard-trained opera singer whom Carey had credited as an inspiration to her from an early age. The Associated Press contributed to this report.