There I Ruined It
There I Ruined It is a music project started by Dustin Ballard during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea is to ruin beloved songs by making covers in very different genres, which Ballard shares on TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit. He has tackled artists like Taylor Swift, Eminem, Radiohead, and Metallica. The first cover was Shallow – Polka Edition. Most of the releases are genre-swaps, though he also does mashups.
To make a cover, Ballard uses MIDI-controlled virtual instruments, sets the rhythm by dictating the lyrics, records vocals, and then edits the video to fit the new style. The project has drawn attention from famous artists and personalities, including Snoop Dogg, Charlie Puth, Jack Black, Ed Sheeran, Weird Al, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more. On 28 November 2023 he announced that all videos were made private for 90 days after two copyright strikes from Universal Music Group.
In August 2024, one of his works was used as a demonstration in a House Judiciary Committee hearing by Darrell Issa. Reviews are mixed: some say the re-imaginings are hilariously bad, while others argue some covers are better than the originals. Musicologist Graeme Boone says the covers work by tapping into a vulnerable, earworm-like reaction. In 2024 Ballard launched There I Ruined It - Live, a Dallas-based eight-musician band performing songs from the channel.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:05 (CET).