In an interview with NPR, Dashiell said:
I wanted Journey in Black to—while the title is—like, black is kind of the central word in the title, I wanted to open up what black looks like and means to people. So often I find I lead my life with, I'm a Black woman, and this is my Black experience, which is incredibly true. And also sometimes that blocks me from experiencing things more from a human space. And I think, like, the human themes of love, loss, grief, joy, friendship—all of us can relate to that, Black, white, brown, whatever.[6]
She also spoke of the first track on the album, "Ancestral Folk Song", as honoring her grandmothers and other ancestors "that made the music".[6]
