Music is a part of our everyday lives, whether voluntarily appearing on a playlist while getting ready or inadvertently from the songs that serve as the backdrop to our favorite shows and movies. While some people like to enjoy a song verbatim, others are deeply interested in opening the curtain before the curtain rises. Today, with much of an artist’s life found online without her consent, more and more singers are choosing to offer fans a closer look at her world on her own terms, from Selena Gomez: My mind and I to Jennifer Lopez: part time.
Music documentaries they provide a great opportunity to discover behind the scenes of our favorite artists or the industry in general. There is so much to discover about the artists’ creative processes, their personal struggles, and about historical musical events. Netflix has a plethora of music documentaries to satisfy your curiosity. Here are the best music documentaries you can watch right now on Netflix.
10 Pam!
Pop duo Wham! it consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. The British duo have a string of catchy hits to their credit, including “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” In this documentary that Netflix categorizes as “captivating, heartfelt, and nostalgic,” fans get an inside look at the heady days when Wham! It was part of the British invasion. Pam! opens with vintage footage of the duo sitting outside the school they met at, instantly tapping into that feeling about fate and what might have been if they hadn’t gone to the same school at the same time. How the stars aligned.
Using archival footage, vintage interviews, photos, and articles, we look at how they connected to the music, the creation of their first demo, and the playful inspiration behind “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” This documentary is perfect for lovers of the music scene of the 70s and 80s.
In recent years, the multi-talented Lady Gaga has made a name for herself in the acting world. with stellar performances in A star has been born and gucci house. But before her prowess as an actress was shown to the world, her musical talent was what she knew her to be. In Gaga: five foot twoGaga’s “Little Monsters” follow the singer’s path to get her fifth album Joanna in the world (think of a hit song perfect illusions) and while preparing for a small concert known as the Super Bowl halftime show.
Known for her eccentric costumes and stunts, Gaga: five foot two shows a more human side to the superstar. We learn about the challenges her chronic pain condition causes her with her fast-paced lifestyle and how much soul she puts into her music. She says: “You have to go to that broken place in your heart to write songs. they say sometimes [making music] It’s like open heart surgery.” This documentary is sure to inspire creatives no matter what medium they prefer.
8 Blackpink: light up the sky
Blackpink have conquered the world and their legion of fans will enjoy their documentary, Blackpink: light up the skyreleased shortly after their 2020 debut album, simply titled The album. The South Korean girl group doesn’t just show fans a look when they’re already topping charts and breaking records, but from the cliff when they are training and learning the ways of the industry and exactly what it takes to be a successful girl group. You’ll get chills watching the group’s humble beginnings and then watching the scenes when they perform in front of crowds numbering in the thousands around the world.
The K-Pop music industry is notoriously exhausting, but these women manage to do it with grace, humility, and maintaining their passion for the craft. The documentary is based on Coachella 2019, where they were the first K-Pop girl group to perform. The one-on-one interviews are scattered throughout, so you’ll be engaging not just with the group as a whole, but with each member.
7 Lewis Capaldi: How I feel now
Lewis Capaldi is relatively new to many people’s radar after the Scottish singer-songwriter’s 2019 single. someone you loved imprinted on everyone’s mind. From his later work, the public discovered that his soulful voice that emits so much pain and soulful lyrics was not unique, it is a talent that many hope will stick around for a while. In his 2023 documentary, Lewis Capaldi: How I feel now, Capaldi can show more of his jovial and carefree nature that many fans got used to from his social media presence. But as the best music documentaries show, there’s much more under the surface.
Capaldi also has Tourette’s syndrome and regularly experiences panic attacks and anxiety. Her vulnerability in sharing about these topics makes her final transition from performing in local pubs to some of Europe’s biggest music festivals all the more impressive.
6 Count on me
We all knew that kid in elementary or middle school who couldn’t stop pretending to drum on any imaginable surface. after observing Count on me you may have a little more understanding of the seemingly uncontrollable urge to touch desks, walls, any metal surface. In a departure from some of the other entries, Count on me it doesn’t follow any one musician in particular, but instead highlights drummers as a whole.
While the documentary places a strong emphasis on the rock genre, it cleverly acknowledges the influence other genres had on rock and vice versa. The female drummers discuss the changes in drumming over the years and the sexism faced by female drummers. “I can play my drums all day and all night, and I love it,” says one musician, and it’s easy to believe. Joy and passion radiate from the screen as each person interviewed talks about their love for this instrument.
5 Train Wreck: Woodstock ’99
Train Wreck: Woodstock ’99 is one of the most exclusive documentaries on netflix. Instead of a 90-minute film, it is divided into three parts and documents the historic Woodstock festival held in July 1999. Rock and roll has a reputation for mayhem and violence, but this year it took that reputation to a whole new level. Over four days, more than 200,000 people attended the event in Rome, New York, and after that, no one would look at music festivals the same way.
Riots, sexual assaults, arson, looting, vandalism, and deaths made Woodstock ’99 famous in a way no one wanted. In the docuseries, you’ll receive first-person accounts from concertgoers, musicians, and journalists who were there during those scary days. A lot was wrong with this event before it started and many believe it shouldn’t have happened, and now the main questions are: how and why?
4 hip hop evolution
hip hop evolution is another docuseries with great perspective and coverage on the birth and widespread impact on the hip-hop genre. Often overlooked, this docuseries demonstrates how influential rap and hip-hop have been not only for the black community, but for other cultures and genres as well. Drawing from the Bronx, turntables, DJs and more, rapper and host Shad celebrates the ever-changing genre.
But it’s not just about dry facts and history. Viewers will hear from some of the best hip-hop artists like LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Ice-T, Diddy and many more. It’s fascinating to discover the differences between East Coast, West Coast, and South rap, as well as the qualities that unite all three. It also delves into the racism that faced the genre in mainstream white American culture and the acceptance that rap and hip hop gained over the years.
3 this is pop
despite the title this is pop, this docuseries offers a wide range of musical styles and shows how much variety pop music contains. Throughout eight episodes, music lovers will learn more about the influence of Boyz II Men’s sharp harmonies, ABBA’s mastery of pop, the fusion of country music with pop through legends like Dolly Parton and contemporaries like Lil Nas X, and much more.
Festival footage is always a delight in music documentaries, and this is pop it doesn’t disappoint there with its coverage of Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and the aforementioned Woodstock ’99. You’ll even get a new version of using autotune. Despite his demonization in the music world, artists like T Pain discuss how he changed pop music for the better.
2 Song Exploder: how music is made
Song Exploder: how music is made is an insightful docuseries based on a podcast of the same name. In the podcast, the musicians take their songs apart and detail the entire creative process, from lyrics to chord progressions. Even if you’re not a musician, seeing some of the greatest artists (Alicia Keys, Dua Lipa, Ty Dolla $ign, etc.) take off their curated masks they wear to audiences and bare their souls in the studio is sure to resonate. Broadway and musical theatre, soulful R&B, infectious pop, all of that and much more is covered in song blaster.
when we listen hits on spotify o Most in the media don’t take the time to consider that it started with a short series of lyrics or a simple guitar lick. Here, those difficult stages in which the creatives try (and sometimes fail) to translate what they have in their head or a feeling they have in their body is a delight to watch.
1 Quincy
Quincy Jones is a prolific songwriter, producer, and songwriter. Even if you haven’t by any chance heard of him, chances are you’ve heard of projects he was involved in. Frank Sinatra might as well be swingby michael jackson suspense, Donna Summer’s self-titled album and many more. In the 2018 documentary QuincyCo-written and co-produced by his daughter Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks, you’ll learn about the man who had an undeniable impact on music.
Quincy shows the music legend at some of his lowest moments, even when he was fighting for his health and was in a diabetic coma. Still, even through the heavier moments, the light still shines as viewers marvel at the career she’s had. Critics agree with the movingness of the film, as it won a grammy for Best Musical Film in 2019.
