Maryem Tollar

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Maryem Tollar (born 1968 in Cairo, Egypt), is a Toronto based singer who primarily sings Arabian songs. She gained her fame through her own band called Mernie!.

Born in Cairo, Maryem's parents immigrated to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada when she was 1 in 1969. 4 years later, her father began working in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, so her family moved back to the Middle East and stayed there until she graduated from The American College in Cairo. During those periods of time, Maryem always had a taste for music and sang in every school production. Her parents were originally against the idea of Maryem becoming a singer but after university, Maryem started pursuing her dream. She first performed with Toronto based Arab band Hot D.A.M. and later sang in Arabic for her brother's compositions. Later, she went to Syria and Egypt to further her studies and gained recognition from the Canada Council. She began receiving calls to perform with different groups as well as for recordin sessions for commercials and films. Eventually, Maryem started a music group called "Mernie!" with her husband, Ernie Tollar. The band is a 10 piece ensemble while she and her husband compose all of the music and everyone in the band come from different cultural backgrounds. Together, they have made one CD so far, entitled Flowers of Forgiveness.