A few weeks ago we in TGIF did a spread on 23-year-old Maui native Anuhea, whose self-titled CD reached No. 7 on iTunes' most-downloaded-albums list.

Here's another one to watch: singer/guitarist Johnny Helm. We're not saying the 36-year-old Connecticut transplant is about to go viral Anuhea-style, but we will tell you he is a hidden gem on the Waikiki circuit who may be on the verge of something big.

Helm recently recorded five demos at the Great Divide Recording Studios in Aspen, Colo., and at Nightbird Recording Studios in Los Angeles with Jed Leiber and drummer John Michel, who has played with, among others, Billy Joel and John Oates.

"The initial plan was to shop the demos to booking agents on the Mainland, but the response has been so good we're heading back to the recording studio to cut five more songs and have an album ready to go, hopefully for this fall," Helm said. "You could say we're heavily invested in this project and it's going to go ahead."

It's been a long time coming for Helm. He came to O'ahu in 1993 for college and has been a fixture on the music scene ever since. He's also huge into surfing, and his first two CDs are definitely of the easy-listening variety. The simplicity of them was as much because of resources — or lack of — as it was because of his style.

"They were done with zero budget and from my bedroom," Helm said, laughing. "You can still get them at Borders and after my shows, but with Jed and John on board, we bought some serious studio time. I've got more of a world sound. They've made the songs better. I think one track, 'Charity,' is going to hit home for Hawai'i."

If all goes well, Helm's story of catching a break will start with Michel contacting him after a performance at Tiki's Grill & Bar, one of Helm's regular Waikiki gigs. Michel was so impressed with Helm's sound he introduced him to Leiber and the trio first recorded in L.A., then Aspen. The Leiber name carries a lot of weight in the music industry. Jed is the son of legendary songwriter Jerry Leiber, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for writing songs like "Hound Dog" and other Elvis Presley hits, as well as "Stand By Me" and dozens of other golden oldies.

While Helm's future looks bright, you can still catch him at 9 p.m. Thursdays and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays at Tiki's, 8 p.m. Mondays at Lulu's Restaurant and Bar, and at The Cheesecake Factory on Fridays and Sundays at 8 p.m. He'll do mostly covers while he plays in Waikiki, but if you ask him to play his originals, he's more than happy to oblige.

You also can check him out on Facebook, under Johnny Helm.