diff --git a/jam-ui/src/components/client/JKSessionBackingTrackPlayer.js b/jam-ui/src/components/client/JKSessionBackingTrackPlayer.js
index e312b96a0..44535edcc 100644
--- a/jam-ui/src/components/client/JKSessionBackingTrackPlayer.js
+++ b/jam-ui/src/components/client/JKSessionBackingTrackPlayer.js
@@ -102,9 +102,13 @@ const JKSessionBackingTrackPlayer = ({
   });
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    console.log('[EFFECT] Duration useEffect triggered', { isOpen, hasBackingTrack: !!backingTrack, hasJamClient: !!jamClient });
+    console.log('[EFFECT] Duration useEffect triggered', { isOpen, isPopup, hasBackingTrack: !!backingTrack, hasJamClient: !!jamClient });
 
-    if (isOpen && backingTrack && jamClient) {
+    // For popup mode, treat as always "open" since the popup window itself indicates open state
+    const shouldInitialize = (isOpen || isPopup) && backingTrack && jamClient;
+    console.log('[EFFECT] Should initialize?', shouldInitialize);
+
+    if (shouldInitialize) {
       console.log('[EFFECT] Condition passed, initializing...');
       // Initialize player state when opened
       setIsPlaying(false);
@@ -162,7 +166,7 @@ const JKSessionBackingTrackPlayer = ({
 
       fetchDuration();
     }
-  }, [isOpen, backingTrack, jamClient, handleError, formatTime, clearError]);
+  }, [isOpen, isPopup, backingTrack, jamClient, handleError, formatTime, clearError]);
 
   // Playback monitoring with visibility-aware polling
   useEffect(() => {