Love and War: A Night with Jordy Searcy

Point Radio Brings Jordy Searcy to Campus

By: Grace Chaves

Electric guitars, Yerba Mates, the sun setting into the Pacific and local San Diego singer/songwriter Jordy Searcy on the mic singing about how “everyone just wants to be in love.” This is a glimpse into Point Radio’s latest “Groovin’ At The Point” concert.

On March 14, Point Loma Nazarene University students gathered outside Nicholson Commons to sing and dance with Searcy at his third concert with Point Radio. While students may know him from his annual concerts on Sunset Deck, most probably know him from 2014’s season seven of “The Voice.”

Searcy was part of “The Voice”’s first-ever “Team Pharrell” with artist Pharrell Williams. Although he got eliminated after the battle rounds, he didn’t give up on music. If anything, “The Voice” paved the way for him to share his own music with the world.

In 2018, Searcy released his debut full-length album, Dark in the City, featuring his hit song “Love & War in Your Twenties.” In 2022, the song went viral on TikTok, and from there, his success only grew. The next year, Searcy landed a tour with singer/songwriter Ben Rector.

Although his fame has only been growing, Searcy spends most of his time touring small college campuses. PLNU was his first stop on his spring campus tour, and students were impressed by his performance.

Searcy played some of his original songs and introduced new ones. For first-year philosophy major Abby Pickett, those new tunes were the highlight of the night.

Searcy introduced an original love song called “21.” It was written for his wife in response to her first marriage, which quickly became toxic. The song talks about what a healthy relationship looks like, and the kind of man Searcy wants to be to his wife.

“It pulled at my heartstrings so much. It’s such an adorable song,” said Pickett.

Fourth-year organizational communication major Camryn Harrell echoed Pickett, calling the song a “banger” and expressing how much she loved it.

Apple Music has compared Searcy to artists like Noah Kahan, and this was especially evident as Searcy surprised students with the verse and chorus of Kahan’s “Stick Season.” He intertwined the popular song with his viral track, “Love & War in Your Twenties,” and did the same later in the concert with “Our Song” by Taylor Swift and his original song “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

“The inclusion of popular songs into his own was incredible and got me really into [his music],” said Pickett, “especially when he did ‘Our Song,’ which is my favorite Taylor Swift song. It was great.”

The “Groovin’ At The Point” concert was hosted by Point Radio, PLNU’s student-run radio station. Third-year media communication majors Arielle Pickerign and Adley Van Soest helped put on the concert, and they thought it was a success.

“We love Jordy and his band,” said Pickerign. “Students really seem to like him too. It was super awesome to have him and his team perform for us.”

But it wasn’t just the students and Point Radio who enjoyed the concert. Searcy himself expressed how much he loved getting to do this show.

“This was my third time playing at Point Loma, and I hope I get to play 300 more times,” said Searcy. “Everybody was so nice and awesome. What a great night.”

While most students came to support Searcy, some came for alternative reasons. Yerba Mates have become a staple at Point Radio’s “Groovin’ At The Point” concerts, and students flocked to Caf Lane to pick up their free drinks.

Van Soest said that Yerba Mates are a staple at their concerts, and Pickerign said she feels the drinks have become part of Point Radio’s branding. Right before they ran out, Searcy also got his hands on one of the iconic Point Radio “yerbs.”

“The yerb was delicious,” said Searcy. “But I’m glad I didn’t have two of them.”

Students hope that Searcy will continue to return annually to PLNU. In the meantime, Harrell said he is part of the worship team at her church in Encinitas, Light Church. Searcy also said that he’ll continue touring college campuses throughout the year.

For more information about Searcy, visit his website, JordySearcyMusic.com. Follow @Point_Radio on Instagram to stay up-to-date on upcoming concerts.