Merel Pauw

Merel Pauw (Amsterdam, 13 March 1995), better known by her alter ego Elmer, is a Dutch rapper, musician, producer and actor who performs in Dutch. Pauw launched her musical career in 2021 when she released the single "Je vader" (Your Father). Since then she has performed at large Dutch and Belgian festivals such as Lowlands en Pukkelpop, toured in support of Merol, and participated in the popular Dutch quiz show De Slimste Mens. Merel Pauw is the daughter of comedian George van Houts and actor Leonoor Pauw. She was born and grew up with her sister in Amsterdam. In 2013, she lost her mother to cancer; the song "Fantastisch" (Fantastic), released in 2023, is dedicated to this. In her teenage years, she decided to legally adopt her mother's last name. In high school, she played the bass guitar in a band.As a child, Pauw played a small role in the Paul Verhoeven film Black Book. In 2018, she completed her studies at the ArtEZ School of Acting in Arnhem, where she also resided for a while. During these studies, she founded the theatre group and hip hop collective Dieheleding with Steven Ivo en Jip Vuik. Als a theatre actor, she also performs in several other groups, with Theater Utrecht, HNTjong, and Theater Oostpool among them.