Jennifer Lopez's new documentary Hustlers.
Like Halftime, there are plenty of other music documentaries worth checking out, as they similarly provide revealing insight into their respective subjects. From Taylor Swift to Beyoncé, which superstars have let cameras into their most compelling moments?
Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U
One of the breakout pop stars of 2021 was Olivia Rodrigo, who released her debut album Sour to critical and commercial acclaim. Rodrigo recently took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her documentary chronicles a road trip from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles that Rodrigo took with her band.
Featuring performances of various songs from the hit album, Driving Home 2 U showcases Rodrigo's vocal power and songwriting talent through interviews with Rodrigo herself as well as her writing and producing collaborator Daniel Nigro. Rodrigo's documentary follows in the footsteps of a recent wave of behind-the-scenes looks at pop stars and their artistic processes.
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
Frank Marshall's 2020 documentary follows the careers of brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibbs, better known as the Bee Gees. The film handles the difficulties of navigating a music career in the public eye, while also being part of a family band.
Interspersed with interviews from a variety of artists including Justin Timberlake, Nick Jonas, and Eric Clapton, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart contextualized the legacy of the Bee Gees, particularly with regard to their influence on the disco era. The documentary was well-received, winning an Emmy Award. It is available to stream now on HBO Max.
What Happened, Miss Simone?
This 2015 documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. What Happened, Miss Simone? captures the evolution of civil rights activist and genre-spanning musician Nina Simone.
What sets this documentary apart is its analysis of the intersection between art and activism, particularly during turbulent times such as the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, director Liz Garbus included previously unreleased archival footage of Simone, which sheds more light on her as a performer and activist. What Happened, Miss Simone? is streaming now on Netflix.
Katy Perry: Part Of Me
Katy Perry's concert film Part Of Me, distributed in 2012, was a big-budget, mainstream project that was even filmed and released in 3D. The over-the-top spectacle of the production perfectly mirrored the bubblegum pop aesthetic of Perry's second studio album Teenage Dream, the album she was touring for the concert.
However, despite the show-stopping moments, the documentary also takes time to reveal a dark look at the dissolution of Perry's marriage to Russell Brand while on tour. These kinds of intimate reveals may have become more commonplace in the music documentaries that were released in the last few years, but Perry's willingness to show the juxtaposition between her public and private persona was bold for an artist in the early 2010s who was at the top of her game.
Amy
Director Asif Kapadia's Oscar-winning musical biopic documented jazz singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse, her substance abuse issues, and the difficulties of navigating an overly scrutinized life in the public eye. The film was one of two music documentaries competing for the 2015 Best Documentary Oscar (the other was What Happened, Miss Simone).
Amy was lauded by critics and audiences upon its release and was particularly acknowledged for the ways in which it reframed the media's depiction of Winehouse during the darkest moments of her life and career. Although Winehouse tragically died in 2011 and therefore was not at all involved in the making of the documentary, this sympathetic portrait of her had a striking feeling of intimacy and authenticity.
Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
This three-part Netflix documentary, running over four hours long, tracks the controversial artist's journey from Chicago to New York and up to the release of his first album, The College Dropout. Filmed by West's longtime collaborators Coodie and Chike, Jeen-yuhs creates a tapestry of a complicated life using mostly behind-the-scenes footage.
In addition to its exploration of how the rapper honed his musical and production craft, the documentary also deals with the death of Donda West, Kanye's mother, and the price of fame as it relates to the artist's personal and professional relationships as well as his own psyche. Jeen-yuhs stands apart from other documentaries that serve simply as fan service; rather, this explores the highs and lows of an undeniably impactful cultural force of the 21st century.
Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry
R.J. Cutler's Apple documentary on this Grammy-winning pop star depicts Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas's artistic process behind the making of her debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, culminating in Eilish becoming the youngest person ever to win all major categories at the Grammys.
The film centers on Eilish, her close relationship with her family, and the difficulties of navigating fame as a teenager. Cutler pulls back the curtain and offers an up-close look at the singer's ascension behind closed doors. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says it best: "[the film] offers an enlightening - and sometimes uncomfortable - look" at Elisih's rise to stardom.
Gaga: Five Foot Two
Gaga: Five Foot Two, which was released in September 2017, draws comparisons to Jennifer Lopez's new documentary in that both chronicle the preparation and execution of a Superbowl halftime performance, and both are Netflix documentaries.
The portrait of Lady Gaga in Five Foot Two is that of an artist drawing inspiration from her family for the creation of a new album. That album would become Joanne, arguably her most personal work yet. Furthermore, the documentary provides a revealing glimpse at her struggle with chronic pain and fibromyalgia as well as explanations and discussions surrounding her ever-changing persona. Gaga would go on to become a central presence in film as an actress and songwriter, most notably with A Star is Born and Top Gun: Maverick.
Miss Americana
Lana Wilson's 2020 documentary Taylor Swift. The first was the release of her 2017 album Reputation, which depicted the aftermath of her feud with Kanye West; the second was the writing and creation of her subsequent album Lover.
Miss Americana also chronicles Taylor an artist gradually taking agency over her own career and stepping into her power not only artistically, but also politically. The documentary culminates in Swift's public endorsements of Tennessee Democratic candidates while exploring the challenges of using her voice politically as a pop/country music artist. By the documentary's end, Wilson presents the audience with an evolved person, one who understands her power and platform.
Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé
Perhaps the most influential music documentary of the last decade, Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé is both a concert movie and a behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsal process for Beyoncé's epic Coachella performance in 2018. The film was released alongside a live album of the concert, which incorporated songs from her Destiny's Child catalog to songs from the cultural phenomenon Lemonade.
The Coachella performance became a sensation in and of itself. Staged as a tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the performance as documented by the film highlights the influential singer's mission to showcase Black talent on stage. The film also details Beyoncé's intense preparation after having given birth to twins. Ultimately, Homecoming does what an excellent music documentary should: it does not make the work seem effortless, but rather full of effort and hard work.
