Benny Tipene
| Benny Tipene | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Benjamin Tipene |
| Born |
19 April 1990 Auckland, Auckland Region, New Zealand |
| Origin | Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand |
| Genres | Indie folk, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, guitarist |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Sony Music New Zealand |
| Associated acts | The Nerines |
| Website | facebook |
Benjamin "Benny" Tipene (born 1990) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is known for his appearance on the first New Zealand series of The X Factor where he finished in third place. Competing in the Boys category, he was mentored by Ruby Frost. His debut single "Walking on Water" was released on 29 July 2013 and debuted at number two on the Official New Zealand Music Chart and was certified platinum.
Tipene was born in 1990 in Auckland. 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. After switching from electric to acoustic guitar while travelling in Europe, Tipene returned to New Zealand and began performing acoustic songs and embarked on a tour of flats in Palmerston North. Tipene also recorded demos and albums that were released on Bandcamp. At the time of his The X Factor audition in early 2013, Tipene lived off music, working one day a week at a Palmerston North musical instrument retailer and playing professional gigs on weekends.
Tipene initially attended the Palmerston North pre-audition on 21 January 2013, where he was put through to the judges' auditions. At his judges' audition, Tipene performed a sung version of Outkast's "Hey Ya!" accompanied with acoustic guitar, eventually progressing to the top 13 in the live shows.
In week six, after a performance of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" Tipene was in the bottom two with Tom Batchelor. With mentor Ruby Frost declining to vote against either of her acts, Batchelor was sent home from a majority vote from judges Stan Walker and Daniel Bedingfield, saving Tipene. In week nine, Tipene performed his own song "Boxes", the first New Zealand The X Factor contestant to perform an original song outside of auditions or a sing-off. During the final shows on 21 and 22 July, Tipene performed the Bat For Lashes song "Laura" and duetted with Dave Baxter of Avalanche City on the song "Love Love Love", then performed his audition song "Hey Ya!". Tipene came in third place from the audience vote.
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