One of the benefits of the OTT era is that one can access performances and documentaries of countless artists. There are continuous streams of content on artists produced by each OTT platform as well as existing videos, allowing one to have the happy difficulty of choosing what to watch. Pop music critic Do-heon Kim recommends the music content from Disney+. As you can see from the names of the featured artists, there is no one you can skip (editor).

Olivia Rodrigo’s Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U

The year 2021 was the year of Olivia Rodrigo. Her debut single “Drivers License,” in which she emotionally sings about her heart-aching breakup in her 1st semester as a high school senior when she got her driver’s license, ranked No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight weeks in a row, signaling the rise of a new superstar to the world. Driving on that momentum, she released her first studio album Sour, which sold 3.7 million copies in the US alone and ignited the flame of pop punk and alternative rock. Her world tour was scheduled, and she received the Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. She became the icon of Generation Z. All this happened in less than a year. Like she said, her life was “turned upside down” in a second.  

Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U directed by Stacey Lee is a music documentary that traces Olivia Rodrigo’s journey of success. She takes a road trip to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah, where she started her album Sour. Looking back on the process of writing her debut album, she candidly discusses how insecure and shy she was and how hesitant she was in making her songs. The beautiful scenery, dynamic live clips, and recordings from her performances that captured the hearts of teenagers around the world truly immerse the audience in her universe. Follow her way back home after the crowd’s enthusiastic response and cheers. Witness the rise of a teenage superstar through her diverse experiences, candid expression of emotions, and passion for creation. 

Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles 

Billie Eilish surprised the world with her album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in 2019. Her music, which quietly set the message of the anxiety, self-hatred, and cynicism of Generation Z to threatening sounds, led to a global sensation and declared the rise of a new generation. She became the representative of her generation with her genderless fashion and truthful messages, and released her second album Happier Than Ever on July 30, 2021, after a two-year break. This album, which follows her path of overcoming depression and healing, ranked No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and recorded over 3 billion Spotify streams, proving her ascension to the top of the music industry. 

Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles is a documentary concert film containing live performances of all songs on her Happier Than Ever album. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez, who participated in the production of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and animator Patrick Osborne. The 66-minute performance in LA’s Hollywood Bowl offers visual delight through the beautiful scenery, panorama of the city, and impressive graphics, and it also guarantees a rich sound experience with the backing of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and guitarist Romero Lubambo. Unlike other live contents, the film also provides interpretation of the song lyrics, which helps the audience be completely immersed in her music. If you have a chance to see the short animation “The Simpsons - When Billie Met Lisa,” which is in the recommendation list, you will be in the complete “Billie Eilish World.” 

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

On June 29, 1969, there was a large-scale music festival attended by more than 300,000 people at Mount Morris Park in the center of Harlem, New York City. It was a year of intense racial conflict and the subsequent charged atmosphere, and people flocked to the festival organized by Tony Lawrence and supported by then New York City Mayor John Lindsay, who was sympathetic to the plight of the city’s African American community. Top artists of the time including Stevie Wonder, The 5th Dimension, B.B. King, Sly & the Family Stone, and Nina Simone, etc., graced the stage and shared touching moments with the audience. All of these moments were recorded in more than 40 hours of footage by Hal Turchin. However, for the next 50 years, no one talked about this festival. The Harlem Cultural Festival was forgotten as a “revolution that could not be televised.”

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) directed by Questlove, drummer of hip hop band The Roots, is a documentary film that shows the vivid scenes of the Harlem Cultural Festival. At the crossroads of African American genres across America, the legendary artists united the community spirit of African Americans and called for solidarity through their respective melodies, rhythms, songs, and performance, leaving hearts changed forever. Given that the Woodstock festival held in upstate New York the same year has long been regarded as a historic moment for music and culture despite its shoddy management and violence, the complete ignorance of the Harlem Cultural Festival is all the more painful. This is an important record that sets the history of music right and instills pride in the African American community. The film won Best Original Documentary at the 94th Academy Awards.

The Beatles: Get Back

Global fans of The Beatles have been impatiently waiting for The Beatles: Get Back documentary for the last three years since Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, announced that he would produce a docuseries based on footage from the making of Let It Be, The Beatles’ final studio album, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Rooftop Concert. The news that there was enough footage to make a documentary film on The Beatles creative process for Let It Be and that Peter Jackson, who directed the documentary They Shall Not Grow Old vividly depicting snapshots of history based on thorough research on World War I, would direct the production was more than enough to raise fans’ expectations. After a long production period and its trailer release, the 486-minute three-part docuseries was released on December 22, 2021 (Korea Time). The title The Beatles: Get Back was taken from the original project title of Let It Be.  

Watching the movements of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr and those around them is simply amazing. At the same time, the camera also catches the frosty atmosphere and rising tension among the members as The Beatles near their breakup. Despite the many talks and troubles, when the four bandmates move to the rooftop and start their historic performance, all five senses are focused on the music of this great band. The three-part docuseries was specially screened at cinemas under the title The Beatles: Get Back – The Rooftop Concert. 

McCartney 3, 2, 1

Two old gentlemen are having a conversation in a studio. The one with a long beard is Rick Rubin, one of the greatest music producers in American pop music history. Countless stars spanning 1980s hip hop, such as Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy, and metal, such as Slayer, System of a Down, and Rage Against the Machine, as well as timeless greats Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash, and pop star Shakira, etc., released hit albums with Rick Rubin. The gentleman next to him needs no introduction: Paul McCartney, the great singer, songwriter, and bassist for The Beatles. 

Rick Rubin asks Paul McCartney how some of The Beatles iconic tunes were made, and Paul unfolds the vivid moments of creation that clearly remain in his heart. Focusing solely on the music, the story is quite different from other boring interviews. From how he met Jimi Hendrix to the making of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is regarded as one of the greatest studio albums in pop music history, and the moment the first motif of “Yesterday” came into his mind, Paul talks candidly about the music that was popular and that he loved at that time. McCartney 3, 2, 1, accompanied by black and white footage directed by Zachary Heinzerling, is an almost-sacred high-quality music documentary. It is a mandatory major course for pop music enthusiasts and an interesting elective culture class for anyone interested in music. 

Beyoncé, Black Is King

On December 13, 2013, Beyoncé released her 5th studio album Beyoncé without prior notice, launching the era of the “Visual Album” in which all songs on the album have a music video. In the Beyoncé universe, music videos serve as philosophical symbols of the artist, going beyond mere song promotion. As her music videos morphed into films and documentaries, their running times and the ideas and ambitions they express grew together. Her 65-minute 6th album Lemonade focused on instilling Black Pride and declaring women’s liberation, and Homecoming, documenting her live performance at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, has been established as a digital history textbook of the African American community authored by one of the most legendary performances in 21st century pop culture. 

Released in 2020, Black Is King is a visual album that she produced based on Disney’s now classic animation The Lion King and its 2019 photorealistic computer-animated remake. Beyoncé released The Lion King: The Gift, a compilation album about the film, together with the movie reboot along with Black Is King, the album’s visual companion. As a soul guide, she leads the next generation on an artistic journey of the great history of the African American community and the teachings of their ancestors. It stands on its own as an elegant but strong declaration that “Black Is Proud.” Her husband Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, model Naomi Campbell, and actress Lupita Nyong'o make special appearances.