The best music documentaries to watch

From Tina to Under The Volcano, these music documentaries will inspire and enlighten in equal measure 

It’s easy for music documentaries to descend into navel-gazing celebrity puff. But for our troubles, 2021 has rewarded us with an abundance of films that are insightful, creative and even – whispers – authentic. From that agenda-setting Britney documentary to Demi Lovato’s brutally honest YouTube series, many interrogate the nature of celebrity and what it means to be an artist today. But there are nods to the past, too, in Questlove’s surprise hit Summer Of Soul, for example, and upcoming film Under The Volcano. Scroll for GQ’s pick of the best music documentaries from 2021 – and thank us later.

Image By FX Networks

1/10

FRAMING BRITNEY SPEARS

Probably the most talked-about music documentary of the year, Framing Britney Spears ushered in a wave of films about what it means to be a woman in the music industry. From the New York Times, it sheds new light on the damaging effects of early-2000s paparazzi culture and delves into the conservatorship that has given Spears’ father control of her career and finances since 2008. nowtv.com

2/10

TINA

Composed of present-day interviews and archive material, Tina takes a broad look at the life and career of Tina Turner. Details about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ike Turner make for the film’s darkest, most painful moments. But there is joy, too, not least in footage of her extraordinary comeback years. From Oscar winners Daniel Lindsay and TJ Martin, it is a fitting tribute to a musical icon. nowtv.com

3/10

BIGGIE: I GOT A STORY TO TELL

One in a string of films and documentaries about The Notorious BIG, AKA Christopher Wallace, I Got A Story To Tell features rare footage shot by his best friend, as well as interviews with Sean “Diddy” Combs and, most poignantly, Wallace’s mother. Together, they paint an intimate portrait of the rap icon. And unlike previous attempts to chronicle Biggie’s legacy, this film focuses on his life, rather than his tragic death. netflix.com

4/10

PINK: ALL I KNOW SO FAR

Parent by day, punk princess by night: Pink is followed by All I Know So Far on her Beautiful Trauma World Tour, during which she is joined by her husband, Carey Hart, and children, Willow and Jameson. Watching her prepare for a particularly taxing wire stunt is fascinating and scenes in which she juggles parenthood with pop stardom are genuinely heartwarming. The result is a sweet, if slightly self-congratulatory watch. amazon.co.uk

5/10

THE BOY FROM MEDELLÍN

From the maker of more solemn propositions A Private War and Cartel Land comes The Boy From Medellín, which follows reggaeton star J Balvin as he prepares for a career-making concert in his hometown. But the gig coincides with widespread civil unrest in Colombia and fans are beginning to criticise Balvin for staying silent. Throughout the film he reevaluates his purpose as a pop star. amazon.com

6/10

DEMI LOVATO: DANCING WITH THE DEVIL

Dancing With The Devil is a painful watch, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding Demi Lovato’s near-fatal overdose in 2018. At four episodes long, it contains some grim revelations: that Lovato was raped aged 15 and sexually assaulted by the drug dealer who left her for dead after she overdosed. In the hands of director Michael D Ratner, the series does some serious myth busting and lays bare the all-consuming reality of addiction. youtube.com

7/10

1971: THE YEAR THAT MUSIC CHANGED EVERYTHING

Nineteen seventy-one – the year of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Carole King’s Tapestry, Gil Scott-Heron’s The Revolution Will Not Be Televised and George Harrison's Concert For Bangladesh – was also the year of the Vietnam War, the Attica Prison uprising and the Manson verdicts. Part music docuseries, part cultural anthology, Asif Kapadia’s The Year That Music Changed Everything is collage-like in structure. Relying on archive footage and voiceover, it makes for an immersive and wholly edifying watch. tv.apple.com

• 8/10

  BILLIE EILISH – THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY

  Considerably less sombre than most of the music docs we’ve received in 2021, The World’s A Little Blurry is a two hour 20 minute-long deep dive into the life of a teenage mega star. Director RJ Cutler spent two-and-a-half years filming Eilish in her family home, at rehearsals and on tour, making for a wonderfully unfiltered look at her rapid ascent to fame and the challenges that have come with it. tv.apple.com

9/10

UNDER THE VOLCANO

During its short life, George Martin’s Air studio in Montserrat hosted artists including Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, The Police and Duran Duran. With a pool on sight and lush greenery all around, it was a work-play paradise for the artists who stayed there. Then a hurricane hit the island in 1989 and the studio was destroyed. Out later this year, the documentary promises to be a fascinating look at a small but significant slice of music history. youtube.com

10/10

SUMMER OF SOUL

In 1969, the same year as Woodstock, another history-making concert took place. At least, it should have been history-making. Instead, footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival – a free event that included artists such as Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone – was left in a basement for 50 years. In Summer Of Soul, Questlove revives that footage, interspersing it with interviews and archive footage of civil unrest in the 1960s. The result is truly astonishing. Out soon on Disney+.