The Weeknd: 20 Things You Need to Know

It’s nearly time for The Weeknd.

No, that’s not a typo. We’re talking about the R&B-soul singer The Weeknd, who performs Saturday at Oracle Arena in Oakland and Sunday at the SAP Center in San Jose.

He’s one of the hottest stars on the planet, having delivered three quadruple-platinum-selling singles and a chart-topping full-length album this year. He’s also selling tickets like nobody’s business — both of his Bay Area shows are expected to draw capacity crowds — and has been collecting awards show trophies and critical praise at a brisk clip. He even had Taylor Swift petting his distinctive Jean-Michel Basquiat-inspired ‘do recently.

Despite all that, The Weeknd has wrapped himself in a cloak of mystery during his relatively short career, providing a rare — and refreshing — 21st-century example of an artist seemingly more interested in music than celebrity status.

We applaud that but still believe that it could be helpful for fans to get up to speed before going to see this intriguing artist in Oakland and San Jose. Thus, we present “20 Things You Need to Know About The Weeknd.”

1 An introduction: Meet Abel Tesfaye, a 25-year-old R&B star from Toronto. He reportedly took on The Weeknd stage name after dropping out of high school at age 17. Word of his talent really started to spread after he began uploading music to YouTube in 2010.

2 That Missing ‘e’: There was already a Canadian act out there known as The Weekend. So, our hero just dropped the third “e” and The Weeknd was born.

3Mixing it up: In 2011, The Weeknd released three mixtapes — “House of Balloons,” “Thursday” and “Echoes of Silence.” He later repackaged, remixed and remastered the tapes as part of a 30-track compilation “Trilogy,” which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in 2012.

4’Mysterious’ ways: The Weeknd’s aura of mystery is no accident. Early in his career, he turned down interview requests and shared relatively little about himself in public. That aspect was underscored when Rolling Stone magazine headlined a 2011 report on him: “Mysterious R&B singer sells out first show.”

5PBR&B?: That’s the term often used to describe The Weeknd’s hipster-approved brand of modern R&B. The name plays off Pabst Blue Ribbon (“PBR”) beer. We’re not sure why. Other acts associated with the PBR&B movement include Jhene Aiko, Banks and Kelela.

6Inspiration: He has cited as three of his main influences Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and Prince. That shouldn’t shock anyone who has listened to The Weeknd’s music.

7First U.S. tour: In 2012, he embarked on his first headlining tour of the U.S., which included a stop at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco. Were you there?

8Thanks, Drake!: Hip-hop superstar Drake was an early supporter, helping to bring much attention to his fellow Canadian. Drake even featured The Weeknd on the 2012 single “Crew Love,” from his double-platinum sophomore effort, “Take Care.”

9Setting the table: He benefitted his career greatly by opening shows for heavyweights Florence and the Machine (2012), Justin Timberlake (2013) and — here’s that name again — Drake (2014).

10Guest appearances: Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, Ariana Grande and Juicy J are among the big-name artists who have featured The Weeknd in their songs. He can also be heard on Sia’s platinum-certified “Elastic Heart,” off 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” film soundtrack.

11First ‘Kiss’: The Weeknd’s first studio album, “Kiss Land,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in late 2013. The album produced six singles, none of which made much of a mark on the charts.

12Top 10: The singer’s first foray into the top 10 on the pop charts came with “Love Me Harder,” a duet with Ariana Grande featured on her second studio album, 2014’s “My Everything.”

13Grey matter: The Weeknd’s fan base grew even larger after his song “Earned It” was released as the first single from the blockbuster “Fifty Shades of Grey” soundtrack. The song peaked at No. 3 on the pop charts and was later included on the artist’s second solo outing.

14 Hot threesome: In July, The Weeknd became the first artist in history to simultaneously occupy the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. He accomplished the feat with “Can’t Feel My Face” at No. 1, followed by, respectively, “The Hills” and “Earned It.”

15 No sophomore slump: His second studio effort, this year’s “Beauty Behind the Madness,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, where it remained for three consecutive weeks.

16 A little help from his friends: Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Rey and Labrinth made guest appearances on The Weeknd’s latest record. Also, Drake was featured on “Kiss Land.”

17 Cruise control: Hipster fans probably cringed, but everyone else was LOL as Tom Cruise performed “Can’t Feel My Face” in a Lip Sync Battle on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” earlier this year. It was just another example of The Weeknd’s mushrooming mainstream appeal.

18 Feeling social: He’s no Justin Bieber or Rihanna when it comes to social media presence, but The Weeknd still boasts some impressive numbers, including more than 3 million followers on Twitter and 4.4 million likes on Facebook.

19 Multiplatinum man: He’s released five multiplatinum singles — “Often,” “Wicked Games,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” “The Hills” and “Earned It.” The last three mentioned have all been certified quadruple-platinum.

20 Big in the Bay Area: “Every time I come here, the venues just get bigger and bigger,” said The Weeknd during his sold-out two-night stand at the 8,500-capacity Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco last year. And the trend has continued with him playing our two major sports arenas — Oracle and SAP — this time through town. Don’t be surprised if he ends up playing Levi’s Stadium or O.co on his next tour.

Follow Jim Harrington at Twitter.com/jimthecritic and www.facebook.com/jim.bayareanews.