He is known for his appearance on the first New Zealand series of The X Factor where he was the last contestant eliminated Competing in the Boys category, he was mentored by Ruby Frost.
In 2007 he and classmates at Freyberg High School formed a band which became indie rock group The Nerines and went on to be a popular act on Palmerston North's live music scene.
[6] In week six, after a performance of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" Tipene was in the bottom two with Tom Batchelor.
[13] Tipene's second single, "Make You Mine", was released in December,[14] and was also used in Coca-Cola's "Coke loves summer" New Zealand ad campaign.
[17] In May, "Make You Mine" was used in a promo for the fourth season of the popular Australian Seven Network television series Winners & Losers.
[citation needed] In June Toulouse was released in Australia, with "Make You Mine" debuting in the ARIA Charts.
[18] Tipene's debut album Bricks was released in October and included the singles "Step On Up" and "Good Man".