Billie Eilish
The Best Music Documentaries Streaming On Disney+ And Hulu
What makes a good music documentary?
Is it unfiltered talking head interviews from an artist’s inner circle, narrating their rise to fame and filling in the gaps with unheard tales of tragedy and triumph? Is it hundreds of hours’ worth of archival footage that transports fans back to the tour buses and motels and the chaotic marathon of on-the-road, small-town gigs? Is it the artist themselves taking control of the camera to give us a more intimate, insightful look into their creative process — the highs, the lows, the sacrifices, and the perks of fame?
Is it a combination of all of these?
Whatever that magical “it” factor is, all of the docs on this list — from tranquil recording sessions to cinematic road trip movies to dramatic reenactments to reels of film that have been hidden away for decades — have it in some form or other.
These are the best music documentaries streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Beatles: Get Back (2021)
Run Time: 468 min
There’s a kind of mythos surrounding The Beatles, their meteoric rise, and their complicated break-up. Much of that is fueled by the untimely death of their founding member, John Lennon, but more still stems from the group’s prolific lyrical output — something that’s on full display in Peter Jackson’s biographical epic, Get Back. The three-part six-hour-long documentary is a musical odyssey, one that peels back the veneer of nostalgia and gives us a raw, moving, and at times unbearably intimate look at the four lads whose influence is still being felt, decades after their initial peak of stardom. Subdued and unstructured but made with purpose, the series gives us a glimpse of these figures with episodes of genius on full display — like when Paul riffs on his bass and produces one of the band’s biggest hits in just a few minutes. The best moments come when we get an unedited look at the strife, tension, and profound connection these musical icons shared, though.
Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever, A Love Letter to Los Angeles (2021)
Run Time: 65 min
Billie Eilish has had a prodigious career. That’s not hyperbole, it’s simply a fact. She’s ticked off everything from Grammy wins and Oscars trophies to headlining the world’s major music festivals and being interesting enough that not one, but two documentaries have attempted to distill her star power to something us mere mortals can understand. In this doc, which stands as Billie’s love letter to her hometown, director Robert Rodriguez throws animation into the mix, creating a kind of hybrid doc/album concept film that’s both beautifully straightforward and deceptively insightful.
Summer of Soul (2021)
Run Time: 118 min
Go all the way back to the consequential summer of 1969 as Roots crew drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson brings the incomparable Harlem Cultural Festival to life with his Oscar-winning Summer Of Soul. Filled with a collection of performances from iconic musicians like Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, this doc doubly rewards viewers by diving into the intersection between current events and music, showcasing the power of music and an event that has been shockingly under-remembered until now.
Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U (2022)
Run Time: 76 min
The only female artist who’s had a bigger breakout than Billie Eilish is this Disney star whose catchy-as-hell breakup track, Driver’s License catapulted her to the top of the charts during a pandemic that had us all feeling a little blue. This doc shares some of the same qualities that made that song, and its accompanying music video, such a hit. There’s a barren feeling to all of the deserts and flatlands Rodrigo drives through while on her way from the recording studio where she created her debut album Sour, back home to California. There’s also a vintage, grainy filter imposed on all of the vistas she stops at along the way, performing some of the album’s biggest hits to intimate crowds and fan gatherings. It’s a vibe – and a worthy entry into the music doc space from an artist who’s just getting started.
Folklore: The Pond Sessions (2020)
Run Time: 105 min
Of the two stellar albums Taylor Swift dropped in 2020, Folklore was the one with the least fanfare surrounding it — a record Swift quietly unveiled that guided fans even deeper into the fantasy-like wood she’d escaped to during quarantine. And with this doc — an intimate, no-frills recording session in a rustic cabin by a lake, somewhere north of New York City – Swift doubles down on this new era of her career she’s knowingly entered into. This is a doc about Taylor Swift, the songwriter – not the pop star or tabloid target. Stripped down and raw, the doc merges some home videos of Swift recording the album years earlier with frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff and newcomer (to the Swift scene) Aaron Dessner with live performances from Swift, held in between chats that dive deep into her musical knowledge and her artistic process. It’s illuminating in the best way and Swift has never been better.
We Are Freestyle Supreme (2020)
Run Time: 90 min
Before Lin Manuel-Miranda was creating Oscar-nominated bops for Disney flicks and winning Peabody awards for history-making Broadway musicals, he was just a guy on a street corner in the Heights, freestyling with his friends. This doc, which leans heavily on archival footage of Miranda and fellow Freestyle Supreme members like Thomas Kail, Christopher Jackson, and others, charts the rise of the group whose on-stage trick is to take audience suggestions and turn them into feature-length raps and bops and skits for our entertainment. There’s some incredible talent on display here as we see the group perform at fringe fests and basement cellars, but somehow, knowing the success each of these guys will one day find makes viewing their humble beginning even more exciting.
Amazing Grace: Aretha Franklin (2018)
Run Time: 89 min
In 1972, Aretha Franklin gave a two-night performance of some of her biggest hits in a crowded Baptist church. Decades later, we finally get that footage. Filmed by Sydney Pollock, this is Aretha Franklin before people universally recognized her as an icon. Her voice is unparalleled, her energy infectious, her talent obvious, but this doc shows the synergy between her religious upbringing and the music she would bring to the world. It might just move you to tears.
Blackpink: The Movie (2021)
Run Time: 100 min
Of the two Blackpink docs circulating the streaming world, this Hulu entry highlights the girl group’s undeniable stage presence, weaving concert footage from their most recent internet-breaking performance, “The Show” with older clips from when they were just beginning their reign as the queens of KPop. There’s a bit of commentary from the women as they reflect on their bond and how they’ve gotten this far, but the strongest moments are when fans get to watch them in their element, killing intricately choreographed numbers and serving up some of the best live shows we’ve seen yet.
Madonna: The Breakfast Club (2019)
Run Time: 105 min | IMDb: 6.5/10
The most fascinating music docs tell the stories of stars before they became them. Plenty of entries on this list fit the bill, but none do it like this hybrid film that mixes archival footage and glimpses of Madonna’s old stomping grounds in Detroit with dramatic reenactments of the artist’s earliest days in New York. The journey is gripping, from mourning her mother and hoping to escape the dreariness of her hometown, to hitting the scene in Queens during a musical rebirth when fashion and art, and street culture were colliding to form a creative environment unique enough to turn a talented former dancer into a pop music behemoth.
Zappa (2020)
Run Time: 169 min
Music fans have likely heard the name Frank Zappa, but few truly understand just how unique and idiosyncratic his career truly was. This doc aims to rectify that, combing through hundreds of hours of archival footage supplied by Zappa’s estate to paint a picture of the sometimes-acclaimed, sometimes-controversial musician that we simply haven’t seen before. From his early beginnings worshipping the musical oddities to spoofing hit Beatles records to fighting American censorship, Zappa was an individual in every sense of the word, which makes charting his musical journey all the more interesting.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Biggest Winners, Losers, And Surprises Of The 2022 Grammys
The Grammys are all about celebrating the best and brightest in music, but in another sense, it’s about picking winners… and therefore losers (or non-winners if you want to soften the blow of that descriptor). While there’s a general formula to an awards show like this, there’s always room for the unexpected to happen, whether that’s an award win nobody saw coming (those definitely happened at last night’s 2022 ceremony) or an especially noteworthy performance (ditto).
When it comes to winners, losers, and surprises, some stand out more than others, so let’s run through some of the evening’s biggest figures and moments in those three categories. (Also, in case you missed it, check out the full list of last night’s winners here.)
Winner: Jon Batiste
The Late Show bandleader’s run as one of the biggest winners of the 2022 Grammys actually started in 2021, when it was revealed he had racked up an amazing 11 nominations. Batiste’s nominations in R&B, jazz, American roots, soundtrack, contemporary classical, and visual categories tied him for the second-most Grammy nominations in a single year, with Kendrick Lamar’s 11 in 2016 and behind Michael Jackson and Babyface’s 12 in 1984 and 1997, respectively. Even if Batiste ended up not winning a single one of those awards, what he achieved still would have been phenomenal. With as many chances as Batiste had, though, he of course managed to pick up at least a couple trophies: Before the actual ceremony even started, he won four Grammys.
Of course, he also put on perhaps the evening’s most dynamic, feel-good, and exciting performance with “Freedom.” But wait, there’s more…
Surprise: Jon Batiste
I write this with all due respect to Batiste’s extraordinary abilities as a musician and entertainer, but his 2021 LP We Are won the Grammy for Album Of The Year and there’s just no way that should have happened.
I don’t think Batiste would even take exception to me saying that: In the moment his victory was announced, nobody in the room showed more visible confusion than Batiste, who held a perplexed expression and uncertain shrug for a good ten seconds before making his way to the stage. Feigning shock is a common reaction to winning a major award like that, but if he wasn’t as genuinely dumbfounded as he looked, he should get an Oscar, too.
The Grammys are not meant to be a popularity contest, so the Recording Academy says, but rather, the aim is to honor the best in music. That said, if We Are truly was the best album of the past year, few people were aware of it; We Are was nominated against works by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, HER, Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and Kanye West, and Batiste’s LP is really the only nominated work that wasn’t a part of the mainstream pop culture conversation when it was released.
Loser: Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish had an unbelievable first year at the Grammys in 2020, when she swept the four major categories and ended up winning five of her six total nominations. Converting at that high of a rate was an aberration, though, and since then, there’s been a clear regression toward the mean, especially after last night.
At the 2021 Grammys, she still did well, winning two of the four awards for which she was nominated. This year, though, things were different. Eilish was one of 2022’s most-nominated artists, with seven total nods (a personal best for her), including nominations in three of the four major categories (not Best New Artist for obvious reasons). When the night was over, Eilish didn’t have to worry about dropping any Grammys like Olivia Rodrigo did because she didn’t win a single one.
Overall, though, Eilish is still doing quite well over her Grammy career, as her lifetime total sits at 7 wins out of 17 nominations. She’s also probably not too upset about how yesterday went considering she put on one of the show’s most thrilling music performances and was seen smiling and having a heck of a time throughout the broadcast.
Surprise: Everything about Doja Cat and SZA’s acceptance speech
Doja Cat and SZA picked up the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with “Kiss Me More,” and even before it started, their acceptance speech was an affair, no element of which could have been predicted. After the victory was announced, SZA struggled to walk to the stage as she contended with her crutches. Shortly after she made it up there, Doja came rushing in from another part of the venue. Doja, out of breath and adjusting her clothing, declared, “I’ve never taken such a fast piss in my whole life.”
That bathroom sprint would have been enough to make this moment noteworthy, but almost immediately after she started speaking, she got so emotional that she could hardly keep it together as she expressed how important the award was to her. This carries extra weight given that she has in recent days insisted she plans on quitting the music industry. There was a lot going on here, but a takeaway to consider is that perhaps this recognition will make Doja consider sticking around the music biz. At the very least, it illustrates how meaningful her work is to her.
Surprise: Olivia Rodrigo
อหหหหห!!!!!
#BTS #GRAMMYs #GrammyAwards pic.twitter.com/W91zdbyM4U
— 진
(@sawok_2minn) April 4, 2022
Olivia Rodrigo has been focusing primarily on music lately, which makes sense given that she’s become a global superstar over the past year. She apparently didn’t want us to forget that she’s also an actor by trade, so she went full thespian for a surprise appearance during BTS’ Grammy performance of “Butter.” BTS went super theatrical with their rendition, opening with basically a live-action spy movie, in which she flexed her emotional range, showing off happiness, shock, and intrigue in a matter of seconds. BTS’ shtick would have been fine without Rodrigo, sure, but her cameo was fun and the kind of small touch that pushes moments over the top.
Meanwhile, in not-so-surprising Rodrigo news, she also won the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Loser: Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X has come a long way since he was a potential one-hit-wonder with “Old Town Road,” which won him his first two Grammys back in 2020. He didn’t do so hot this year, though, as he earned five nominations (including three in the major categories) but didn’t win a single won, bringing his lifetime Grammys record to two wins out of 11 nominations.
Another way to look at it, though: If you’re of the school that it really is an honor just to be nominated, then Lil Nas X is one of the most decorated artists of the past few years. He also put on a pretty killer performance that’s sure to ruffle some feathers, a favorite Lil Nas X pastime. So, all in all, despite the losses, it was still a pretty good night for him.
Winner: Questlove
Save for being a footnote in the most infamous pop culture moment of 2022 so far, Questlove has had himself a terrific week. Immediately after Will Smith went ahead and smacked Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards, Rock gathered himself and gave Questlove the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, for Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). While that moment (which Quest made a quick joke about while presenting) was overshadowed by shenanigans, Questlove’s victory for Best Music Film wasn’t. His movie earned yet another major award, and this time, Questlove actually got to enjoy his deserved spotlight, distraction-free.
Surprise: Baby Keem
Baby Keem is a capable rapper: His 2021 debut album The Melodic Blue was top-5 in the US and its standout single, the Kendrick Lamar-featuring “Family Ties,” was top-20 and platinum-certified. Now, with that said, if you list his name alongside Cardi B, J. Cole, Drake, and Megan Thee Stallion, which one of that group feels like the odd man out? Without a doubt, based on fame and success and no disrespect, it’s Keem.
So, some hip-hop fans certainly had at least one eyebrow raised when “Family Ties” won the Best Rap Performance Grammy over those aforementioned rap icons (although the Lamar bump surely helped). I’m not necessarily saying Keem isn’t deserving of the honor, more so just pointing this out: I tried finding the Vegas betting odds for the category and wasn’t successful, but I’d have to imagine Keem would have been in last. So, congrats on the upset, Keem.
Loser: J. Cole
Over the years, J. Cole has had an up-and-down relationship with the Grammys: Up in the sense that he’s earned an impressive 16 nominations since his first (for Best New Artist) in 2012, but down in the sense that he’s only managed to win one: Best Rap Song for “A Lot” in 2020. That includes last night, where his luck didn’t change: He was up for Best Rap Performance, Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Album but lost to Baby Keem, Kanye West, Kanye West again, and Tyler The Creator, respectively. Given that The Off-Season was a well-received No. 1 album and Ye isn’t in what most people would consider the peak of his music career, those losses especially have to sting.
Winner: Taylor Hawkins
The Foo Fighters drummer had a big night at this year’s ceremony, but as the music world knows by now, sadly, he was not able to enjoy it himself after his recent death. In the days leading up to the big night, the Recording Academy said they were working on some sort of way to honor Hawkins and his presence was certainly felt. He got a nice video tribute separate from the in memoriam segment, replacing Foo Fighters’ canceled performance slot. He also got a major shout-out from Billie Eilish, who wore a shirt with his face on it during her show-stopping performance of “Happier Than Ever.”
On top of that, Foo Fighters won a few Grammys, giving Hawkins some posthumous awards: Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance. While it is awful to have to say goodbye to one of the most beloved drummers of the past couple decades, last night was a fitting farewell.
Find the full list of this year’s Grammy nominees and winners here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, and More Participating in Ukraine Social Media Rally That Aims to Raise Billions in Aid
Billie Eilish Wins Best Original Song Oscar for “No Time to Die”
At Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell received the original-song Oscar for “No Time to Die,” the title theme for the latest James Bond film. According to Variety, Eilish’s single was the third Bond song to win Best Original Song. Ahead of the win, Eilish and O’Connell performed the single.
The post Billie Eilish Wins Best Original Song Oscar for “No Time to Die” appeared first on The Source.
Oscars Announce Beyoncé Will Perform ‘King Richard’ Song “Be Alive”
Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and Jack Harlow Among First 2022 Grammy Performers Announced
Performing At The 2022 Grammys Are Billie Eilish, BTS, Lil Nas X, And Others
Slowly but surely, this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony is starting to come together. At the top of the year, the event was postponed, and not long after that, organizers revealed the show would be taking place on April 3 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, not its original venue, Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Now, we’re getting an idea of who’s going to be there: The Recording Academy and CBS revealed some of this year’s performers, a list that so far includes BTS, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brandi Carlile, and Brothers Osbourne.
*Officially* pressing play on our first round of #GRAMMYs performers!
Be sure to watch the #GRAMMYs LIVE, April 3 at 8pm ET/5pm PT on CBS!
We’re going on the record to say we are PUMPED. pic.twitter.com/WQtJmb3Jay
— CBS (@CBS) March 15, 2022
Those artists have a storied history with the Grammys. Eilish, for instance, won all four major awards at the 2020 show and had a major presence the next year, winning Record Of The Year for “Everything I Wanted,” which she also performed. As for BTS, this is their second year both being nominated for a Grammy and performing at the ceremony. Rodrigo had a huge Grammy year in 2021 as she was nominated for a whopping seven awards, which she called “probably the most meaningful” of her dreams that came true that year.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Glastonbury Announces Its 2022 Lineup With Headliners Paul McCartney And Kendrick Lamar
When it comes to Europe’s summer festivals, Glastonbury is the grandaddy of them all. Think Coachella, but bigger and across five days. Now Glastonbury has finally announced the long-awaited lineup for the June 22nd to 26th affair, and the festival also cemented the headlining slate with Kendrick Lamar and Paul McCartney.
McCartney and Lamar will be playing the grandiose Pyramid Stage, along with a previously announced performance from Billie Eilish. We’ll go ahead and take the Pepsi challenge on these headliners, because can this really be topped? Taking place at Worthy Farm in Pilson, Somerset, England for the first time since 2019, the camping festival had already been sold out before the lineup was ever announced. It’s a testament to the cultural significance of this massive gathering and the lineup is positively bonkers.
Here is the first Glastonbury Festival 2022 line-up poster, which includes our final two Pyramid Stage headliners: @PaulMcCartney (Saturday) and @kendricklamar (Sunday). Many more acts and attractions still to be announced. pic.twitter.com/Tgo4HYMb6l
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) March 4, 2022
Also on the bill are legendary diva Diana Ross; pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo; Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks; jazz fusion legend Herbie Hancock; Oasis leader Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds; a TLC reunion; indie-pop queens Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, and St. Vincent; Little Simz headlining the smaller West Holts Stage; and a whole lot more. Glastonbury says that there’s still more artists to be announced, including more headlining and emerging acts.
Check out the full lineup poster above and visit the Glastonbury website for complete details on the fest, lineup, and a final ticket pre-sale opportunity.