Hugo Sigal looks back on the Eurovision Song Contest: “Our purple suits were cremated together with Nicole” | Ltd

This week Hugo looks back on a special moment in their musical career. Because in 1973 he appeared at the Eurovision Song Contest together with his Nicole. She eventually finished last in the competition with the song ‘Baby, Baby’. It was not their song ‘Baby, Baby’ that attracted attention at the time, but their purple matching suits. “Our costumes were unseen at that time,” Hugo now reflects in ‘Gazet van Antwerpen.’ “Between her death and the funeral, I only came out to go to the mortuary. I was there for a few hours every day. Suddenly it dawned on me that I was not only saying goodbye to Colleke, but also to Nicole & Hugo. I would never sing “Good Morning, Morning” or “Baby, Baby” again. That reminded me of our iconic purple costumes. I wanted them to stay with Colleke forever. Just before the coffin was closed, I placed the costumes with her. That felt right to me”; he then explains.

Nicole Josy died a year and a half ago at the age of 76. The Flemish singer had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for some time, but died after falling down the stairs. “She made a mistake and fell on her head,” said Nicole and Hugo’s management afterwards. Hugo’s loss remains great today, but he has managed to get his life back on track in the meantime. “The sadness is no longer an obstacle to doing other things,” he says in the interview.