The best music documentaries still to come in 2025

Sometimes you don't just want to hear your favourite song or album – you want to hear the story behind it. With this in mind, here are the best music documentaries still to come in 2025. 

Billy Joel: And So It Goes

This two-part documentary is billed as "an expansive portrait of the life and music of Billy Joel" that will explore "the love, loss and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting". It's co-directed by Jessica Levin, who previously made 2018's excellent Jane Fonda in Five Acts, so it should offer a definitive portrait of the piano man.

How to watch: On Sky Docs on August 2 and 3.

Culture Club

Director Alison Ellwood has previously made revealing documentaries about Cyndi Lauper and The Go-Go's. Now, she turns her lens to another seminal 1980s act: Culture Club, who launched their Official Charts run with seven consecutive Top 5 singles. The band's iconic frontman Boy George is always witty and insightful, while their interpersonal dynamics should supply more drama than a whole season of Succession.

How to watch: It's premiering at Tribeca Festival in June, so watch this space for further release details.

Depeche Mode: M

This live movie-cum-doc chronicles the synth-pop pioneer's three stadium shows in Mexico City in 2023. According to the logline, director Fernando Frias will "explore the parallels between the themes on Depeche Mode’s latest album Memento Mori (a Number 2 hit in the UK) and the deep connection to death and mortality in Mexican culture". It sounds like a doc with depth.

How to watch: It's also premiering at Tribeca, so expect a full release later this year. 

Eminem – Stans

Produced by Eminem, this documentary explores the complex relationship between the rapper and his adoring fanbase, as well as his outsize public persona generally. Given that he coined the term "stan" with his 2000 chart-topper of the same name, it's safe to say he has a vested interest – and a pretty unique perspective. 

How to watch: In cinemas from August 7 to 10.

Failure

Titled Every Time You Lose Your Mind, this doc about space rock band Failure is directed by its frontman, Ken Andrews. Alongside interviews with band members, it features insights from famous fans including Hayley Williams and Tommy Lee. Says Andrews: “Our fans have connected with the themes of depression and addiction in our music. The film crystallises those connections and, ultimately, communicates hope. We’re a band that faced a specific set of challenges and somehow managed to survive and thrive. It’s a story about resilience, finding ways to cope, and not giving up.”

How to watch: On Disney+ from July 27.

Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

This documentary tells the story of Janis Ian's remarkable life and career: from her seminal folk-pop songs Society's Child and At Seventeen to her coming out in the early 1990s. It also covers her heartbreaking 2022 tour cancellation due to vocal scarring. Director Varda Bar-Kar mixes archive footage with new talking head interviews from Ian and friends including Joan Baez, Lily Tomlin and Jean Smart.

How to watch: It's out now in the US, so expect a UK release to follow shortly.

LISA

The BLACKPINK star's solo journey – from The White Lotus to debut album Alter Ego – is chronicled in this upcoming film. Director Sue Kim says of working with the singer, actress and style icon: "She loves to refer to herself as, ‘I’m just a normal girl from Thailand.’ And when you meet her, she actually is. She’s so down to earth. It’s quite shocking, and so real and so sincere."

How to watch: There's no release date yet, but director Sue Kim has shown trailer footage to industry insiders, so hopefully it's not far off. 

Metallica Saved My Life

Directed by Jonas Åkerlund – who's helmed music videos for Lady Gaga, Madonna and yes, Metallica – this documentary delves into the incredible, kin-like bond that Metallica fans have fostered over the years. Even if heavy metal isn't your genre, the film's exploration of the relationship between bands and their followers should prove poignant and relatable.

How to watch: An unfinished version of the film is screening in select cities on Metallica's North American tour. Wider release details should be announced in due course.

Oasis

You may have heard that Oasis are reuniting for a not-so-little 2025 stadium tour – and this doc will track the brothers Gallagher every step of the way. Expect it to feel cinematic as well as intimate: Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is producing, while it's being directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, who previously made 2022's excellent indie sleaze film Meet Me in the Bathroom.

How to watch: The tour hasn't started yet, so it's still very much tbc.

Take That

This documentary series – yes, a full series – is in the works at Netflix. The producers have apparently secured "access to Gary, Howard and Mark" plus "interviews with Jason and Robbie", so it should feel comprehensive. Plus, if you saw Robbie on last year's Boybands Forever doc, or watched his excellent biopic Better Man, you'll know he doesn't hold back. At all. 

How to watch: On Netflix. It was announced in August 2024, so hopefully we don't have long to wait.

Yungblud. Are You Ready Boy?

Recorded at the famous Hansa Studios Building in Berlin, this doc follows Dominic Harrison – aka YUNGBLUD – as he performs his Number 1 album IDOLS for the first time. "I feel as though I am sailing uncharted waters," he says in the trailer. "I need to figure out who am I as an adult, as a man." YUNGBLUD has never been afraid of getting candid, so expect a raw and revealing watch.

How to watch: In cinemas on August 20 and 24.

Culture Club article image: Getty