Original article [here].

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Hamasaki Ayumi opens Kouhaku as Top Batter for 5th consecutive year
31 December 2012. 19:16

For her 14th performance at Kouhaku, Hamasaki Ayumi (34) took on the role of Top Batter for the 5th consecutive year, opening the festivities on New Year’s Eve.

In January this year, she announced her divorce from Austrian actor Manuel Schwarz (31). In August, she released best album “A SUMMER BEST”, and became the first solo artiste in history to sell more than 50 million CD copies. In November, she announced that she was dating Uchiyama Maroka (28) or “Maro”, her back-up dancer since 2007. In all, it was a newsworthy year for Hamasaki, regarding both her private life and work.

Hamasaki belted out 3 songs in a “2012 A SPECIAL Medley”. The solemn “Dearest” and danceable “evolution” and “SURREAL” were performed on a colourful stage. She even called out for “Everyone in front of the TV!” to join in, and mesmerized all with her costume changes, from white to black to red.

After that, she headed to the National Yoyogi First Gymnasium in Tokyo for her Countdown Live concert. Even during this customary year-end concert which started from the 29th, dancer Uchiyama had quickly resigned as a dancer, due to fans’ concerns of the two “mixing work and private life”.