Biography
Sally Seltmann commands considerable esteem in Australian indie pop circles, having first established herself during the 2000s via the New Buffalo project. International recognition arrived through her songwriting partnership on Feist’s 2007 breakout single “1 2 3 4,” while her own well-regarded releases on the Arts & Crafts label encompass the 2010 album Heart That’s Pounding and 2014’s Hey Daydreamer. She also belongs to the respected Australian trio Seeker Lover Keeper and maintains parallel careers as a producer and novelist; her third solo album, Early Moon, appeared in 2022.
Her involvement in Australia’s independent music community dates to the early ’90s, when she performed in the Sydney indie-rock band Lustre 4 under her birth name, Sally Russell. Relocating to Melbourne prompted a shift toward beats and keyboards; she adopted the New Buffalo identity for EPs such as 2001’s About Last Night and the self-titled 2005 remix set, plus the albums 2004’s The Last Beautiful Day and 2007’s Somewhere, Anywhere. Visibility surged after “1 2 3 4,” the track she co-authored with Canadian artist Feist, emerged as a major hit following its prominent placement in an Apple iPod commercial. A skilled vocalist, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for vintage pop textures, her New Buffalo work earned nominations for both the Australian Music Prize and the ARIA Awards.
Following her marriage to the Avalanches’ Darren Seltmann, she adopted his surname for professional use and issued Heart That’s Pounding in 2010 under the Sally Seltmann name. The next year she formed Seeker Lover Keeper alongside fellow songwriters Sarah Blasko and Holly Throsby; the trio’s self-titled 2011 debut reached number three on the ARIA charts and achieved platinum certification. Solo activity resumed with the 2014 album Hey Daydreamer, while a 2016 ARIA Award recognized “Dancing in the Darkness,” the song she co-wrote with her husband for the ABC series The Letdown. In 2018 she released her first novel, Lovesome, before rejoining Seeker Lover Keeper for the 2019 album Wild Seeds; Early Moon, her third release under her own name, followed in 2022.
Her involvement in Australia’s independent music community dates to the early ’90s, when she performed in the Sydney indie-rock band Lustre 4 under her birth name, Sally Russell. Relocating to Melbourne prompted a shift toward beats and keyboards; she adopted the New Buffalo identity for EPs such as 2001’s About Last Night and the self-titled 2005 remix set, plus the albums 2004’s The Last Beautiful Day and 2007’s Somewhere, Anywhere. Visibility surged after “1 2 3 4,” the track she co-authored with Canadian artist Feist, emerged as a major hit following its prominent placement in an Apple iPod commercial. A skilled vocalist, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for vintage pop textures, her New Buffalo work earned nominations for both the Australian Music Prize and the ARIA Awards.
Following her marriage to the Avalanches’ Darren Seltmann, she adopted his surname for professional use and issued Heart That’s Pounding in 2010 under the Sally Seltmann name. The next year she formed Seeker Lover Keeper alongside fellow songwriters Sarah Blasko and Holly Throsby; the trio’s self-titled 2011 debut reached number three on the ARIA charts and achieved platinum certification. Solo activity resumed with the 2014 album Hey Daydreamer, while a 2016 ARIA Award recognized “Dancing in the Darkness,” the song she co-wrote with her husband for the ABC series The Letdown. In 2018 she released her first novel, Lovesome, before rejoining Seeker Lover Keeper for the 2019 album Wild Seeds; Early Moon, her third release under her own name, followed in 2022.
Albums
Early Moon
2022
The Letdown (Music from the Original ABC TV Series)
2020
Hey Daydreamer
2014
Heart That's Pounding
2010
Singles
